Linus Pauling: Scientist and Peacemaker - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0870714899 ISBN 13: 9780870714894

Publisher: Oregon State Univ Pr, 2001

Synopsis

One of the most brilliant scientists and most controversial individuals of the twentieth century, Linus Pauling was the only person to win two unshared Nobel Prizes. This unique volume, first published to mark the centenary of Pauling s birth, gathers his words and those of his contemporaries and students, together with photographs, drawings, and reproductions from the Pauling Papers. Pauling (1901-1994) was known for being outspoken and for leaping over scientific boundaries from physics to chemistry to biology to medical research. This collection draws a vivid portrait of a remarkable man scientist, humanist, and activist highlighting his larger-than-life personality and his singular achievements. As both scientist and citizen, Pauling was passionate and deeply thoughtful. He wrote The Nature of the Chemical Bond, one of the most cited sources in scientific history, and won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954. He risked his reputation during the McCarthy years as a vocal opponent of Cold War policies and nuclear proliferation. As a result, he was vilified by the press, investigated by the FBI, and awarded the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize. In the 1970s, Pauling again gained international recognition, this time for his advocacy of megadoses of vitamin C as a cure for cancer and cold prevention.

About this title

About the Author

Clifford Mead is Associate Professor and Head of Special Collections at Oregon State University, home of the Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Papers. He is co-editor of two books on Linus Pauling and the Pauling papers.

Thomas Hager is a science writer, biographer, editor, Assistant Professor and Director to the Office of Communications at the University of Oregon. He has written two books on Linus Pauling, including the acclaimed biography, "Force of Nature: The Life of Linus Pauling."

Reviews

When Linus Pauling was nine, his father proclaimed proudly his son's voracious reading appetite and his keen interest in ancient history and the natural sciences in a letter to the local paper. By the time he was 13, Pauling had already decided to become a chemist. From then on, an insatiable curiosity drove him tirelessly to solve puzzles in chemistry and physics. Along the way, he developed a new quantum theory of the chemical bond, which he described in his most important book, The Nature of the Chemical Bond, and the Structure of Molecules and Crystals. He applied his research to other areas, most notably an investigation into the causes of sickle-cell anemia, and in 1954 he won the Nobel Prize in chemistry. Pauling recoiled in horror when he witnessed the destructive uses to which science was put in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He vowed in 1947 to "mention the need for world peace" in every lecture he gave. Because of these efforts, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962. Pauling archivist Mead and Pauling biographer Hager (Force of Nature) celebrate Pauling's 100th birthday by weaving reminiscences of Pauling with his own writings into a stunning tapestry of Pauling's life and work. The scientist's original writings range from his boyish resolutions to "make use of my slide rule, and to go out for track and succeed" to his Nobel Peace Prize speech in 1963. This lively collection brings into focus the life of a scientist passionately dedicated to using the results of his scientific endeavors to bring out the best in the human spirit. (Feb.)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oregon State Univ Pr
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0870714899
• ISBN 13: 9780870714894
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272
• Editor: Mead Clifford, Hager Thomas