Double Helix First Edition Third by James Watson (3 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First UK Edition. Third impression of the first UK edition, published in July 1968. The book was first published in the UK in May 1968, and reprinted in June and July - indicating that the book had made quite an impact for a science book. Dustwrapper designed by Dorothy Judd. With 19 half-tone illustrations and 11 diagrams. ***Very good in bright mauve cloth-covered boards with gilt titles and striking DNA spiral design to the spine. The gilt is still beautifully bright, having been protected by the dustwrapper. Head and tail of spine slightly creased. Corners sharp. Light vertical reading crease to the spine. Boards nice and clean and unmarked. Top edge stained mauve by the publisher - lightly faded and slightly foxed. Internally also very good with a neat contemporary gift inscription at the top of the front free endpaper. Pages clean. There is a slight forward lean to the book. Spine tight. ***In a very good printed dustwrapper that has not been price-clipped, retaining the original publisher's printed price of 35s net. The dustwrapper is complete, but has some edge wear and creasing, mainly to the top and tail of the spine. There is a 2cm closed tear to the top edge of the back panel of the dustwrapper. Whilst there is some surface loss to the edges of the top and tail of the spine and corner tips of the foldovers, there is no actual loss, just small nicks at the edges. Spine of dustwrapper unfaded. Back panel nice and clean even though a white background. ***222 mm x150 mm. 315 pages - with a Foreword by Sir Lawrence Bragg. ***'The classic personal account of Watson and Crick's groundbreaking discovery of the structure of DNA. By identifying the structure of DNA, the molecule of life, Francis Crick and James Watson revolutionized biochemistry and won themselves a Nobel Prize. At the time, Watson was only twenty four, a young scientist hungry to make his mark. His uncompromisingly honest account of the heady days of their thrilling sprint against other world class researchers to solve one of science's greatest mysteries gives a dazzlingly clear picture of a world of brilliant scientists with great gifts, very human ambitions, and bitter rivalries. With humility unspoiled by false modesty, Watson relates his and Crick's desperate efforts to beat Linus Pauling to the Holy Grail of life sciences, the identification of the basic building block of life. ***'In 1962 the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology was awarded to Francis H. C. Crick, James D. Watson, and Maurice H. F. Wilkins, the three men who almost a decade earlier had worked together, merging data from chemistry, physics, and biology, to solve the structure of DNA--Crick and Watson on the building of a hypothetical model that would conform in all its parts to what Wilkins' X-ray pictures had already shown of the molecule. The interplay of ideas, temperaments, and circumstances was an especially fortuitous one, since the result was something that, in Watson's words, was too pretty not to be true: the double helix.' [Quote taken from the front flap of the dustwrapper] ***Third impression of the first UK edition. The book was surprisingly successful for a science book and was soon reprinted. A nice original format reading copy. ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only: we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate - please contact us for postal rates for heavier books and sets etc. Dorothy Judd (Jacket design) (illustrator).…

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition. A third printing of the true first American edition, published in March 1968. The book was first published in the USA in January 1968. Atheneum, New York is the stated publisher, and all three printings are listed on the printer's page. Dustwrapper designed by Jeanyee Wong. Illustrated with 19 half-tone, full page, photographic plates, six pages reproducing Watson's letter to Max Delbruck, telling of the Double Helix, & 11 diagrams. ***Very good in blue cloth-covered boards with gilt titles to the spine. The gilt is still nice and bright, having been protected by the dustwrapper. Head and tail of spine slightly creased. Boards nice and clean but with some fading at the extremities - at the top and tail of the spine (where the dustwrapper is chipped) and along the edges of the boards. The top edge of the page block is stained yellow by the publisher and is foxed. There is also some browning to the fore-edge of the page block. There is a slight forward reading lean to the binding and the page block is slightly away from the spine from reading. Light vertical crease to the spine. Internally also very good with a neat ownership name in ink at the top corner of the front free endpaper, but no other annotations. The pages are clean, with no foxing. No creases or tears. The endpapers are bright red. ***In a very good illustrated dustwrapper, which has not been price-clipped, retaining the original publisher's printed price of $5.95 at the top corner of the front flap. The dustwrapper is largely complete, but there is some loss at the head and tail of the spine with some associated creasing ans scuffing to the surface colour. No creasing or tears - just some rubbing and wear around the edges. The spine of the dustwrapper is faded. The back panel is completely clean, which is unusual, as it is a white background. The large inner flaps, which are prone to creasing, are also uncreased. ***216mm x145mm. 226 pages - with a Foreword by Sir Lawrence Bragg and a Preface by the author, and six pages of photos at the back of the book. ***'"It is a strange model and embodies several unusual features. However, since DNA is an unusual substance, we are not hesitant in being bold." Thus quietly, Jim Watson, aged twenty-four, wrote from Cambridge to a friend in the States, one month before the public announcement in April 1953 of a discovery that many scientists now call the most significant since Mendel's. DNA is the molecule of heredity, and to know its structure and method of reproduction enables science to know how genetic directions are written and transmitted, how the forms of life are ordered from one generation to the next. The search for this molecular structure is the story told here, in a book that also has its unusual features as well as a measure of boldness. The work was done between the fall of 1951 and April 1953, and the scientific paper announcing the discovery was published in Nature immediately. What we have is more than the "inside story" of one participant's version of a revolutionary discovery. We have a book, written on the assumption that science is a human endeavor, and important enough to be written about forthrightly.' (Quote taken from the front flap of the dustwrapper) ***A very early third printing of the first American edition, published in exactly the same format as the first edition. Early printings of the Atheneum edition of this classic work are uncommon in the UK. The book and the dustwrapper are very good - albeit with the above mentioned faults. ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only: we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate - please contact us for postal rates for heavier books and sets etc. Jeanyee Wong (Jacket design) (illustrator).…

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First Edition, Later Printing. This is the first edition, third printing (with "Third Printing, March 1968" stated on the copyright page). ***** This book is SIGNED by the author(James D. Watson) directly on the title page. The author has not inscribed this book to anyone; it is just signed by the author. ***** Watson won the Nobel Prize for his work on DNA. **** Very nice hardcover with dust jacket. There is NO other writing, NO bookplates, and NO remainder marks. It is NOT a book club edition and NOT a former library book. The dust jacket is NOT price-clipped ($5.95). ***** CONDITION: Both the book and the dust jacket are in NEAR FINE condition. ***** We include new mylar (clear) dust jacket protectors with all books at no extra charge. ***** OUR GUARANTEE TO YOU: All books are guaranteed to be as described. We believe that no sale is complete until you are happy. Any book is returnable for a full refund (including postage) if you're not 100% satisfied. Thank you! Richard Vick, Modern First Editions (Buying and Selling Modern First Editions since 1982). Signed by Author(s).…