Synopses & Reviews
"A marvelous book, written about one of the history's greatest astronomers, and written by one of the greatest historians of astronomy. As Henry Norris Russell shaped modern astronomy a century ago, this book gives a valued glimpse into a time long gone. DeVorkin's thoroughly researched and beautifully written book brings the man, and his time, to life again."--David H. Levy
"In the 1920s, Princeton astronomer Henry Norris Russell stood as a giant among his peers. At the vanguard of uniting modern physics with observation, he set the standard for astronomy for the twentieth century. In this masterful biography, noted historian David DeVorkin chronicles one of the most exciting eras in astronomical history and the man who was at its focal point. Combining meticulous research with a lucid prose, DeVorkin shows how an anxiety-ridden scholar, both savvy and ambitious, first revealed how stars are born, live, and die. An enthralling study of an astrophysicist's mind at work."--Marcia Bartusiak, author of Thursday's Universe and Through a Universe Darkly
"DeVorkin's work on Russell is an outstanding contribution to the history of modern astronomy and American science. In spite of its high scholarly level, it will make a good read for general readers as well as historians of science, astronomers, physicists, and others engaged in scientific work. It is the first biography of Henry Norris Russell, and as a contribution to the history of American astrophysics it is better than any other book I know of."--Helge Kragh, author of Quantum Generations
"DeVorkin's biography reveals how Russell used his talents, achievements, and connections to accelerate the integration of physical theory into American astrophysical practice. In doing so, it greatly enriches our understanding of several themes within the history of science. . . . DeVorkin's scholarship is truly impressive. This study will be mandatory reading for those in the history of modern astronomy, in the history of twentieth-century American science, and in scientific biography. In addition, it will find substantial readerships among practicing astronomers, Princeton alumni and faculty, and readers of American biography. I strongly recommend it."--Karl Hufbauer, author of Exploring the Sun: Solar Science since Galileo
Review
A detailed technical history describing the major works of Russell, showing how his ideas interacted with, modified, and moulded contemporary astronomical thought.
Review
DeVorkin has produced such a scholarly and thorough piece of work that it's hard to believe, at least from our standpoint, that this biography will ever be superseded.
Review
Eminently readable and full of insight, detailed yet raising many questions for future scholars, this is biography at its best . . . One might say it is a twin biography, the life of one man, and the lives of the starts, forever intertwined in history.
Review
DeVorkin's work on Russell is an outstanding contribution to the history of modern astronomy and American science. In spite of its high scholarly level, it will make a good read for general readers as well as historians of science, astronomers, physicists, and others engaged in scientific work. It is the first biography of Henry Norris Russell, and as a contribution to the history of American astrophysics it is better than any other book I know of.
Review
David DeVorkin has carried out a remarkably thorough search into both Russell's family life and his scientific accomplishments . . . This comprehensive biography should be of interest not only to historians of science and students of astronomy, but also to psychologists who might enjoy analyzing this brilliant, domineering personality.
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[An] ample, meticulously professional and expressive biography.
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A fine portrait of Russell. The man emerges as a true transitional figure, a modern in a starched collar.
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An interesting and informative portrait of this complex man.
Review
It is clear that a tremendous amount of research has gone into the preparation of this biography, and the result is an unqualified success. . . . As one of the most important astronomers of the 20th century, Russell deserves a first-class biography. DeVorkin has provided it.
Review
David DeVorkin's volume is surely the definitive biography of one of America's most important astronomers. It is a must-read for historians of astronomy, and it is more than that. In arguing for Henry Norris Russell's centrality to the development of modern astrophysics, DeVorkin constructs a sweeping map of intellectual and institutional change. This map is broad enough to interest any historian of twentieth-century science, but it contains some significant surprises for the specialist.
Review
Honorable Mention for the 2000 Award for Best Professional/Scholarly Book in Biography, Association of American Publishers
Review
"Known as the General, Henry Norris Russell transformed American astronomy from a simple observation of the stars into a quest to understand the origins of the universe. This meticulous, scholarly biography traces Russell's development into an innovative astrophysicist even as he clung fiercely to his Presbyterian faith."
--Eric Powell, Discover
Review
"Filled with rich detail, DeVorkin's account sets a high standard for scholarly scientific biographies."
--Owen Gingerich, The New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
Henry Norris Russell lived in two universes: that of his Presbyterian forebears and that of his science. Sharp-witted and animated by nervous energy, he became one of the most powerful voices in twentieth-century American astronomy, wielding that influence in calculated ways to redefine an entire science. He, more than any American of his generation, worked to turn an observation-centered discipline into a theory-driven pursuit centered on physics.
Today, professional and amateur astronomers alike know Russell for the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, the playing field for much of stellar astrophysics, as well as for his work on the evolution of stars and the origin of the solar system. But of far greater importance than his own research, which was truly remarkable in its own right, is Russell's stamp on the field as a whole. Functioning as a "headquarters scientist"--some called him General--Russell was an astronomer without a telescope. Yet he marshaled the data of the Hales and the Pickerings of the world, injected theory into mainstream astronomy, and brought atomic physics to its very core, often sparking controversy along the way. His students at Princeton went on to populate the most prestigious astronomical institutions in the United States, bringing with them Russell's beliefs that astronomy is really astrophysics and that researchers should be theoretically as well as empirically minded.
This first-ever book-length biography of the "Dean of American Astronomers" interweaves personal and scientific history to illuminate how Russell's privileged Presbyterian family background, his education at Princeton and Cambridge, and his personal inclinations and attachments both served and were at odds with his campaign to modernize astronomy. This book will be of interest not only to astronomers and historians (particularly those interested in the emergence of astrophysics), but to anyone interested in the process of disciplinary change.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [451]-478) and index.
Table of Contents
PREFACE xi
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xvii
CHAPTER 1 Religious Heritage 3
CHAPTER 2 Russell at Princeton 21
CHAPTER 3 Graduate Years: Entering the Profession 39
CHAPTER 4 Postdoctoral Years at Cambridge 51
CHAPTER 5 Return to a New Princeton 68
CHAPTER 6 Parallaxes, Pedagogy, and the Lives of the Stars:
Russell's First Years on the Princeton Faculty 79
CHAPTER 7 Building a Life at Princeton 98
CHAPTER 8 Building a Case for Giants 106
CHAPTER 9 At the Theoretical Interface:
Defending His Theory 121
CHAPTER 10 Shifting Allegiance 138
CHAPTER 11 The Great War: Transformations 153
CHAPTER 12 Russell's Turn to Mount Wilson 166
CHAPTER 13 Rationalizing Stellar Spectra 177
CHAPTER 14 "A Reconnaissance of New Territory" 199
CHAPTER 15 Princeton Astronomy in the 1920s 221
CHAPTER 16 Stellar Evolution 236
CHAPTER 17 Binary Stars and the Formation
of the Solar System 257
CHAPTER 18 The Royal Road 273
CHAPTER 19 A Summer Place: The Lowell Observatory 292
CHAPTER 20 Influencing Institutions and
the Profession 309
CHAPTER 21 Astronomical Isolationism 327
CHAPTER 22 Searching for a Replacement 339
CHAPTER 23 Russell's Universe 361
ABBREVIATIONS AND ARCHIVAL SOURCES 373
NOTES 377
GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS 449
BIBLIOGRAPHY 451
INDEX 479