What I Require From Life
Price:
$29.95 (01)Description
J. B. S. Haldane (1892-64) was one of the great scientists--and great science writers--of the 20th century. A polymath who was a central figure in the development of modern evolutionary biology, he was also a highly skilled essayist and an extraordinary character--brilliant, witty, idealistic, funny, and pugnacious.What I Require From Life brings together Haldane's popular science essays, more than sixty articles that reflect not only his masterful ability to communicate scientific understanding, but also his deep commitment to socialism. Readers will find essays on an exhilarating range of topics--"Is There Life on the Planets?" "Is Man a Machine?" "Why are You Left-handed?" "Overcrowding at the Zoo," "How Bees Communicate," "The Common Cold."
Edited with an introduction by Haldane's last graduate pupil, Krishna Dronamraju, this collection of thought-provoking and beautifully-written pieces also comes with a Preface written by the late Sir Arthur C. Clarke, who calls Haldane "perhaps the most brilliant science popularizer of his generation."
Features
- J. B. S. Haldane (1892-64) was an eminent scientist and polymath, who made vital contributions to sciences ranging from physiology to biochemistry, and was a central figure in the development of modern evolutionary biology and genetics.
- Brings together for the first time Haldane's popular essays from the 1940s with writings from his Indian period.
- The essays here cover scientific topics as varied as astronomy, bird migration, and relativity, as well as shedding light on Haldane's views on social and political issues from Marxism and Soviet science, to non-violence and Hinduism.
- With a Preface by the late Sir Arthur C. Clarke, who writes: "J B S Haldane was perhaps the most brilliant science populariser of his generation... Haldane's scores of essays may still be read with great profit."
Reviews
Listed in Science Book News
"This edited collection of some of [Haldane's] long out-of-print essays is manifestly a labour of love. The appearance of this selection will hopefully introduce the original Haldane to a new and wider audience, telling us more about the author and his times."--The Lancet
Product Details
256 pages; 5 B&W halftone illus.; 5-1/2 x 8-1/2; ISBN13: 978-0-19-923770-8ISBN10: 0-19-923770-0About the Author(s)
Krishna Dronamraju
is President of the Foundation for Genetic Research in Houston. He was an Advisor to the White House and served on the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Prof. Dronamraju is a Visiting Professor of the University of Paris, the Albert Schweitzer International University of Geneva, and an Honorary Research Fellow of University College, London.
Books by the same author:
Daedalus Revisited
(1995)
