Synopses & Reviews
J. B. S. Haldane (1892-64) was one of the great scientists--and great science writers--of the 20th century. A polymath who was a central figure in the development of modern evolutionary biology, he was also a highly skilled essayist and an extraordinary character--brilliant, witty, idealistic, funny, and pugnacious.
What I Require From Life brings together Haldane's popular science essays, more than sixty articles that reflect not only his masterful ability to communicate scientific understanding, but also his deep commitment to socialism. Readers will find essays on an exhilarating range of topics--"Is There Life on the Planets?" "Is Man a Machine?" "Why are You Left-handed?" "Overcrowding at the Zoo," "How Bees Communicate," "The Common Cold."
Edited with an introduction by Haldane's last graduate pupil, Krishna Dronamraju, this collection of thought-provoking and beautifully-written pieces also comes with a Preface written by the late Sir Arthur C. Clarke, who calls Haldane "perhaps the most brilliant science popularizer of his generation."
Review
Listed in Science Book News
"This edited collection of some of [Haldane's] long out-of-print essays is manifestly a labour of love. The appearance of this selection will hopefully introduce the original Haldane to a new and wider audience, telling us more about the author and his times."--The Lancet
Review
"This collection, edited by Dronamraju, does not aim to be definitive or exhaustive. Rather, Dronamraju, the author and editor of numerous works on Haldane, chooses to be relevant and exemplary, selecting in order to give readers a taste of Haldane's remarkable writing style and his significance. Dronamraju is to be congratulated for introducing a new generation of readers to Haldane's work."--ISIS
"Haldane's essays reveal the effects of time on writing for an immediate audience. They demonstrate how science has changed some 50 to 80 years later. Well worth reading are Haldane's criticisms of eugenics in the essay, 'The Mathematics of Evolution', his advice for popular science writing in 'How to Write a Popular Science Article', his assessment of Darwin in 'Indian Perspective', and 'Inventions that Made Men Free'."--The Quarterly Review of Biology
Listed in Science Book News
"This edited collection of some of [Haldane's] long out-of-print essays is manifestly a labour of love. The appearance of this selection will hopefully introduce the original Haldane to a new and wider audience, telling us more about the author and his times."--The Lancet
About the Author
Krishna Dronamraju is President of the Foundation for Genetic Research in Houston. He was an Advisor to the White House and served on the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Prof. Dronamraju is a Visiting Professor of the University of Paris, the Albert Schweitzer International University of Geneva, and an Honorary Research Fellow of University College, London.
Books by the same Author -
Daedalus Revisited (1995)