A Place in History
The Biography of John C. Kendrew
Paul M. Wassarman
Reviews and Awards
"Wassarman has done a remarkable job in producing a rich story catching many aspects of Kendrew's life. The book provides many new insights and is an enjoyable reading. We should be very grateful for the extensive research done to produce a book of this quality." -- Anders Liljas, Crystallography Reviews
"Paul Wasserman, who worked as a post-doctoral fellow with Kendrew, provides a glimpse into the life and career of a great pioneer in molecular biology, as well as the lives of other important scientists of that era. This biographical work is comprehensive, well referenced, and contains many photographs, but it is also peppered with anecdotes, making it an interesting read. The appendices include a description of Kendrew's archives, published obituaries, and papers. The book also boasts a comprehensive bibliography. It is a superb work of scholarship and a fascinating read." -- Dr Arpan Banerjee, Hektoen International Journal
"This superb biography provides a fascinating insight into the development of the field of molecular biology in the last century.... Kendrew was a difficult man to know personally. Paul Wasserman, who worked as a post-doctoral fellow with Kendrew, provides a glimpse into the life and career of a great pioneer in molecular biology, as well as the lives of other important scientists of that era.... The book also boasts a comprehensive bibliography. It is a superb work of scholarship and a fascinating read." -- Arpan K. Banerjee, Hektoen International
"This volume presents the first book-length account of Kendrew's life and career, including relatively obscure biographical details and how he arrived at groundbreaking conclusions about myoglobin by employing early computers in crystallography . . . The biographer's archival research and interviews enable many insights into Kendrew's personality and character . . . Wassarman's prose is carefully edited and readable, and the technical information is accessible." -- A. K. Ackerberg-Hastings, CHOICE
"In this wide-ranging and detailed biography, Wassarman captures Kendrewâs outstanding contributions and sympathetically illuminates the personality of an essentially private man." -- Tony Crowther, FRS, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
"This fascinating biography brings together the public and the private persona to reveal a man who was meticulous, tenacious, and passionate." -- Paul Harris, FBA, Harvard University
"John Kendrew was a visionary with a deep understanding of science, people, and politics. Paul Wassarman has now produced, in this sensitive and perceptive biography, a superbly well-researched account of the life and times of a great man." -- Richard Henderson, FRS, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 2017
"Paul Wassarmanâs biography provides the links and insight that help explain Kendrewâs initial professional passion, that is for research, then his rapid transformation, following his success with the myoglobin structure, into the spokesperson for the internationalization of European life science in the service of peace. As one of his successors at EMBL, I found the insight into his character and motivations fascinating." -- Iain Mattaj, FRS, Foundation Human Technopole
"Seldom have I encountered a biography which is both comprehensive and teeming with fascinating information told with exceptional felicity. This elegant book, accessible to non-scientists, deserves to be widely read." -- Sir John Meurig Thomas, FRS, University of Cambridge
"John Kendrew was one of the most formidable of modern British scientists. He has, however, hitherto had no full-scale biography. Paul Wassarman has written an absorbing study of a man whose life is in many ways central to contemporary British life and culture." -- Ross McKibbin,FBA, University of Oxford
