What I Require From Life: Writings on science and life from J.B.S. Haldane

Dronamraju, Krishna

ISBN 10: 0199237700 / ISBN 13: 9780199237708

Published by OUP Oxford, 2009

About this Item

Photos included in listing. About the book: 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.".

Seller Inventory # 701

Bibliographic Details

• Title: What I Require From Life: Writings on science and life from J.B.S. Haldane
• Publisher: OUP Oxford
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0199237700
• ISBN 13: 9780199237708
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: As New
• Dust Jacket Condition: As New
• Weight: 500 grams
• Seller catalogs:
  • Scientist Memoirs

About this title

Synopsis

J. B. S. Haldane (1892-64) was one of the scientific giants of the 20th century. A polymath who made important contributions to sciences ranging from physiology to genetics and biochemistry, he was also a highly skilled writer and an extraordinary character - brilliant, witty, idealistic, funny, and pugnacious.

What I Require From Life is a compilation of his popular scientific essays written from the 1940s to last years of his life, that reflect not only his masterful ability to communicate scientific understanding, but also his deep commitment to socialism. The essays included here fall into two groups; those written by Haldane during the 1940s when he embraced Marxism, and those written during his last years in India (1957-64), and they range from An Autobiography in Brief (written three years before his death), to his Marxist view of evolution The Chicken or the Egg? , to his poignant poem Cancer is a Funny Thing.

Edited with an introduction by Haldane's last graduate pupil, Professor Krishna Dronamraju, this collection of thought-provoking and beautifully-written science writing also comes with a Preface written by the late Sir Arthur C. Clarke, who provides a personal perspective on Haldane's unique place in 20th century science.

About the Author

Professor Krishna Dronamraju is President of the Foundation for Genetic Research in Houston, USA. He was a pupil and close associate of J.B.S. Haldane in India. Professor Dronamraju's previously edited books include Haldane's Daedalus Revisited, Selected Genetic Papers of JBS Haldane, and Haldane and Modern Biology. He was an Advisor to the White House and served on the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and is currently a Visiting Professor of the University of Paris, the Albert Schweitzer International University of Geneva, and an Honorary Research Fellow of University College, London.