George Beadle, an Uncommon Farmer: The Emergence of Genetics in the 20th Century

George Beadle was a towering scientific figure whose work from the 1930s to 1960 marked the transition from classical genetics to the molecular era. Among other distinctions, he made the pivotal, Nobel Prize-winning discovery with Edward Tatum that the role of genes is to specify proteins. From 1946 to 1960 he led the Caltech Biology Division, rebuilding it to a powerhouse in molecular biology, and afterwards became a successful President of the University of Chicago. This is the first biography of a giant of genetics, written by two of the field's most distinguished contributors, Paul Berg and Maxine Singer.

Berg (a Nobel laureate biochemist at Stanford University) and Singer (a former president of the Carnegie Institution of Washington) are thoroughly acquainted with Beadle s work and its place in the history of genetics. Not only do they tell us a lot, both scientific and personal, about Beadle, but they set the stage by describing his associates and their work. The authors have done their homework, reading the old literature and conducting hours of interviews. The result is a full, accurate, authoritative, and balanced biography. And their writing is splendid as well.... Science --Science

The book tells us in detail about Beadle's two marriages, the salaries he earned (but not their equivalent values today), his journeys by ship and by train, and the fact that he succumbed to Alzheimer's disease. There is plenty here for everyone. Those interested in the history of genetics will want to read the whole book, but today's students would benefit from just a few chapters. Nature --Nature

Excellent biographies of scientists are rare. Those written by nonscientists often omit the major scientific work and focus on the personality of the scientist and the importance of their work. Those biographies written by scientists often bury readers in technical details that only specialists can appreciate, and all too often the personality of the scientist is missing. Fortunately, both Paul Berg and Maxine Singer have avoided these two pitfalls. Their biography of George Wells Beadle is a magnificent effort of good writing, good insights, and a comprehensive account of the life and work of one of the greatest geneticists of the 20th century....For those who enjoy learning how great ideas arise and get transformed, who want to see how the science of one's time constrains the interpretations, and how highly motivated and talented investigators succeed in solving problems, this book will be richly rewarding. The Quarterly Review of Biology --The Quarterly Review of Biology