The Neglect of Science: Essays Addressed to Laymen

SIMON (Sir Francis Eugene).

Published by Basil Blackwell, Oxford, 1951

About this Item

SIMON (Sir Francis Eugene).
The Neglect of Science: Essays Addressed to Laymen
Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1951.

First edition, first impression. Presentation copy from the author to Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Portal.

Octavo. Original red cloth, gilt-lettered spine, in the original printed dust jacket priced 8/6 net. vi, 138 pp. With the publisher?s loosely inserted order form advertising The Physical Basis of Mind and Fred Hoyle?s The Nature of the Universe.

A superb presentation copy of Simon?s timely post-war argument for scientific literacy, inscribed on the front free endpaper: ?To Lord Portal with compliments! FES.? F. E. Simon, later Sir Francis Simon, was one of Britain?s leading physicists, a Fellow of the Royal Society and an important figure in low-temperature physics and wartime atomic research, particularly work connected with uranium isotope separation. The recipient, Lord Portal, gives this copy exceptional resonance. After serving as Chief of the Air Staff during the Second World War, Portal became Controller of Production, Atomic Energy, at the Ministry of Supply from 1946 to 1951, placing him at the centre of Britain?s early post-war nuclear programme.

The author-recipient link is therefore unusually direct: this is a book about the national importance of science, presented by a major atomic scientist to one of the senior administrators of British atomic energy policy. Published in 1951, at the point where wartime science, nuclear power, public education and national recovery were all pressing public questions, Simon?s essays speak directly to the world Portal was helping to shape.

Condition excellent. The red cloth remains notably bright and fresh, the gilt clear, the binding firm and square, and the contents clean. The dust jacket is very well preserved, with light toning, dust-soiling and minor edge wear, but no serious loss. The survival of the jacket and inserted publisher?s order form adds considerably to the appeal. A highly desirable presentation copy, with exceptional Portal provenance.

Seller Inventory # ABE-1777650777515

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Neglect of Science: Essays Addressed to Laymen
• Publisher: Basil Blackwell, Oxford
• Publication Date: 1951
• Language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)