The Biographical Dictionary of Scientists
by Roy Porter (Editor), Marilyn Ogilvie (Editor)
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A one-volume comprehensive introduction to over 1,200men and women in all areas of science, providing biographical information and the significance of each scientist's contributionTags
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That might be the motto of this collection of biographies. This is a biographical dictionary of scientists, but casual readers beware: It's about the science itself far more than it is about the people. Scientists, after all, are quirky, and many of them had lively lives outside of the lab. You won't see much of that here -- this isn't the place to learn (e.g.) that Marie Curie was a strongly depressive autistic who, as a widow, had an affair with a scientist five years her junior. Or about Albert Einstein's illegitimate son. Or Isaac Newton's rages.
And -- guess what -- that can be good. The biographies here are almost like a bibliography of work done, which is what really matters about scientists. Oh, the show more personal stuff would be fun, too -- but the book is already huge. There wouldn't be room for that in a reasonable space.
It does mean that, if you really want to find out about any particular scientist -- even a very important one -- you'll need a different sort of reference. But that's all right. Within its limits, this is an excellent book, thorough, readable, and well-researched. show less
That might be the motto of this collection of biographies. This is a biographical dictionary of scientists, but casual readers beware: It's about the science itself far more than it is about the people. Scientists, after all, are quirky, and many of them had lively lives outside of the lab. You won't see much of that here -- this isn't the place to learn (e.g.) that Marie Curie was a strongly depressive autistic who, as a widow, had an affair with a scientist five years her junior. Or about Albert Einstein's illegitimate son. Or Isaac Newton's rages.
And -- guess what -- that can be good. The biographies here are almost like a bibliography of work done, which is what really matters about scientists. Oh, the show more personal stuff would be fun, too -- but the book is already huge. There wouldn't be room for that in a reasonable space.
It does mean that, if you really want to find out about any particular scientist -- even a very important one -- you'll need a different sort of reference. But that's all right. Within its limits, this is an excellent book, thorough, readable, and well-researched. show less
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Roy Sydney Porter was born December 31, 1946. He grew up in a south London working class home. He attended Wilson's Grammar School, Camberwell, and won an unheard of scholarship to Cambridge. His starred double first in history at Cambridge University (1968) led to a junior research fellowship at his college, Christ's, followed by a teaching post show more at Churchill College, Cambridge. His Ph.D. thesis, published as The Making Of Geology (1977), became the first of more than 100 books that he wrote or edited. Porter was a Fellow and Director of Studies in History at Churchill College, Cambridge from 1972 to 1979; Dean from 1977 to 1979; Assistant Lecturer in European History at Cambridge University from 1974 to 1977, Lecturer from 1977 to 1979. He joined the Wellcome Institute fot the History of Medicine in 1979 where he was a Senior Lecturer from 1979 to 1991, a Reader from 1991 to 1993, and finally a Professor in the Social History of Medicine from 1993 to 2001. Porter was Elected a fellow of the British Academy in 1994, and he was also made an honorary fellow by both the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Roy Porter died March 4, 2002, at the age of 55. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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