The complete edition based on the revised and corrected text of the 1961 French editionOriginally penned in the mid-eighteenth century by Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville; Democracy in America remains the most penetrating and astute picture of American life; politics; and morals ever written; as relevant today as when it first appeared in print nearly two hundred years ago. This edition; meticulously edited by the distinguished de Tocqueville scholar J. P. Mayer; is widely recognized as the preeminent translation.
#58525 in Books Brenda Maddox 2003-09-30 2003-09-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .94 x 5.31l; .66 #File Name: 0060985089416 pagesRosalind Franklin The Dark Lady of DNA
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The world behind the Double HelixBy P. B. SharpAfter reading "The Double Helix" almost 50 years ago; I (like many other readers) was incensed at author-scientist James Watson's cavalier treatment of Rosalind Franklin. Franklin has finally come into her own with individuals flocking to her aid on both sides of the Atlantic. I wanted to find out more about Franklin as a personality and was delighted that "The Dark Lady of DNA" rounds out the Rosalind Franklin as a person as well as a scientist.On the distaff side; too much irrelevant detail is included in the book concerning her family; travels; friendships with obscure people. The accompanying photos are of very poor quality-there are several meaningless shots of Rosalind hiking; walking down the street with friends or staring at nature. Watson and Crick appear in two photos; one at the Nobel Ceremony after Rosalind's death and the famous one of Crick pointing at the molecular model of DNA with Watson staring up rather idiotically at Crick. Wilkins is seen in a closeup. But the irrelevant photographs and unessential detail in the narrative somewhat dilute Rosalind's astounding achievements and contribution to the discovery of the Double Helix.As in all situations the personalities of the players on a particular stage and how they interacted with each other is the sum of great biographies. Rosalind was a victim of the fractious atmosphere created by J.T. Randall; head of the department of Biophysics at King's college. Randall never explained the pecking order of scientists in his labs and Rosalind was viewed by some as on the level of a lab technician; not the holder of a PhD and the author of superb research in crystallography. A nasty turf war consequently erupted which literally pitted lab members against each other; competing against each other while members of the same college laboratory. (A house divided against itself cannot stand).The technique of x-ray crystallography was Rosalind's specialty; although by not wearing protective clothing against the radiation of x-rays; Rosalind stood in danger of acquiring cancer- and sure enough; ovarian cancer killed her at age 37. In x-ray crystallography a crystal is exposed to x-rays and a diffraction pattern is produced. Prior to Rosalind's work both A and B forms of DNA were mixed together resulting in muddy diffraction patterns that could not be interpreted. In a clear pattern the positions of the atoms in the molecules can be constructed.In the famous subterfuge of Rosalind's diffraction data; Maurice Wilkins showed James. Watson; one of Franklin's fellow scientists; Rosalind's number 51 x-ray of the B form of DNA. Rosalind was not consulted nor did she know her work had been pirated. Watson knew immediately that the x-ray image meant DNA was a double helix and he could predict where the different atoms were located. He imparted his findings to Crick after sketching a picture of diffraction 51 in a newspaper margin; and the race was on; a race to beat Linus Pauling from publishing the correct structure of DNA first.The personality of Rosalind Franklin was an interesting one as revealed in "Dark Lady" as she could be gentle and caring and as fierce as a rottweiler. She always looked people in the eye when she spoke to them and those dark; eloquent eyes could be unnerving. She was trapped; though; in the male chauvinist scientific world of the 1950s and her fellow scientists were patronizing. Rosalind comes across in "Dark Lady" as a very attractive personality who was also pretty and feminine; nothing like James Watson's frumpy "Rosy."Rosalind loathed King's College and finally escaped to Birkbeck. Her studies now centered on tobacco mosaic virus; She traveled to the United States; amicably meeting Watson on both coasts; first at Cold Spring Harbor then Cal Tech. Her observations of America and Americans are recorded in "Dark Lady" and are quite revealing and. I found I cared very much what she thought of us. She returned to England to work in Aaron Klug's lab; and her collaboration with him led to the happiest days of her career and she went on to discover the structure of tobacco mosaic virus with her beautiful X-ray diffraction of the pencil-shaped virus. Klug; who later won the Nobel prize; perhaps hit the nail on the head when he explained why Rosalind was so close to breaking the DNA code but fell just two steps short.He said : " She needed a collaborator...somebody to break the pattern of her thinking; to show her what was right in front of her; to push her up and over."Rosalind's very early death was a huge loss to the scientific world and yet she had managed to publish thirty seven papers in her short life. Her courageous battle against cancer and her refusal to give in to her illness is well portrayed in the book. She has finally come into her own; with a university laboratory named after her; rather amusingly in her hated King's College. Many other laurels have been heaped on her as well.P.S. Google Doodle has created a marvelous tribute to Rosalind in their Google Doodle. I can't give the URL in an review; so just Google rosalind franklin google doodle..1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. She made them famousBy PwtExcellent biography of a too often overlooked truly brilliant scientist. She is the reason Watson and Crick are famous and got the Nobel Prize. She did the work of identifying and delineating the chromosomes that have become known as the double helix of DNA. One of her lab partners essentially stole her work and gave it to Watson and Crick. My take on the history in this book: read for yourself and decide what you think.8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. A RevelationBy CustomerAs a career scientist and woman I am stunned (and embarrassed) that I did not know the full story of Rosalind Franklin before reading this book. Brenda Maddox sensitively tells the tale of a brilliant Jewish girl in WWII England who struggles to make a career and her mark in science. That Rosalind became a world renowned crystallographer is a testament to her inner strength and surpassing intellectual gifts; the legacy of her scientific achievement makes hers an important history. But Rosalind's story is raised to Tragedy by 2 facts. The first is that she was betrayed by some of the most regaled scientists of modern biology - Watson; Crick and Wilkins - who; when rewarded with the Nobel; did not acknowledge that Rosalind's work was integral to their uncovering the structure of DNA's double helix. This scientific theft moves into the tragic realm with the second fact -the "Dark Lady" was stricken with ovarian cancer and died within several years of her discovery - allowing this personal betrayal to go without answer.No; this book is not a feminist polemic. It is a story of grace under duress; a story of courage; and beauty and permanence. In sum; Rosalind's personal and scientific life is the story of a soul that burned laser bright. She is the person that I would most like to meet; were that possible; and I thank Brenda Maddox for introducing her to me.
