Concise Dictionary of Scientific Biography

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Summary: The Greatest Scientists, as Fragile as the Rest of Us
Review: Even the most diligent search of the world literature on biography will typically reveal little information about the personality and delicate human traits of some of the greatest thinkers in history. This book stands essentially alone as a complete but manageable compendium of the people who throughout time advanced mankind through creative thought, perseverance, and determination. Perhaps its greatest strength is in the brief but insightful histories of each scientist's life experiences as ordinary human beings who sought personal fulfillment and happiness first in relationships, love, and family. It is fascinating and exciting to discover how much in common the average person shares with the human frailties and emotions of Newton, Edison or Oppenheimer. The extensive illustrations and photographs further enhance the sense that these individuals who we imagine as larger than life were very much like the rest of us at heart. Each of the many hundreds of entries is well written, concise, and tightly focused. The authors' efforts at keeping the biographies limited in length are successful, but unfortunately this restricts the extent of information one might wish to have available for the most significant scientists, or those whose lives included particularly fascinating details. There are some surprising exlcusions of biography, such as Stephen Hawking and Jane Goodall, but the book includes so many other biographies that it would not be fair to quibble. In summary, this is a wonderful book to have in one's home reference library, particularly with children at home.

Rating:
Summary: Great Reference Book
Review: This book is invaluable as a reference for me in writing college history of science lectures, and in reading historical works, as so much of the information that I need is right at my fingertips. While not as comprehensive as the complete edition, the biographies are substantial enough, and the historical range vast enough, so that this work stands as an excellent source for putting the individuals in science into perspective.