Linus Pauling
Thomas Hager and Clifford Mead
One of the most brilliant scientists and most controversial individuals of the 20th century, Linus Pauling was the only person to win two unshared Nobel Prizes. This unique volume, published to mark the centenary of Pauling's birth, gathers his words and those of his contemporaries and students, together with photographs, drawings, and reproductions from the Pauling Papers.
Pauling was known for being outspoken and for leaping over scientific boundaries—from physics to chemistry to biology to medical research. This collection draws a vivid portrait of a remarkable man—scientist, humanist, and activist—highlighting his larger-than-life personality and his singular achievements.
As both scientist and citizen, Pauling was passionate and deeply thoughtful. He wrote The Nature of the Chemical Bond, one of the most cited sources in scientific history, and won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954. He risked his reputation during the McCarthy years as a vocal opponent of Cold War policies and nuclear proliferation. As a result, he was vilified by the press, investigated by the FBI, and awarded the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize. In the 1970s, Pauling again gained international recognition, this time for his advocacy of megadoses of vitamin C as a cure for cancer and cold prevention.
About the author
Thomas Hager has written or edited numerous books on medicine and science, most recently The Demon Under the Microscope. He is the author of two books on Linus Pauling, including the acclaimed biography, Force of Nature: The Life of Linus Pauling. He lives in Eugene, Oregon.
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Clifford Mead was Associate Professor and Head of Special Collections at the Valley Library of Oregon State University, home of the Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Papers. He is coeditor of several books on Linus Pauling, including The Pauling Catalogue, a comprehensive inventory of the Pauling Papers.
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Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I. Linus Pauling, The Man
The Roots of Genius
Tom Hager
A Pauling Chronology
Robert Paradowski
By Best Friend
Linus Pauling
Diary Excerpts
Wayne Reynolds
Interview with Dr. Linus Pauling
Wayne Reynolds
Summer Employment
Linus Pauling
Children of the Dawn
Linus Pauling
Linus Pauling, The Teacher
David P. Shoemaker
The Incident on the Cliff
Linus Pauling
Part II. Linus Pauling, The Science
The Scientific Contributions of Linus Pauling
Jack Dunitz
Early Years of Physical Chemistry at Caltech
Linus Pauling
The Original Manuscript for The Nature of the Chemical Bond
Linus Pauling
Modern Structural Chemistry: Nobel Lecture 1954
Linus Pauling
Pauling and Beadle
George Gray
Sickel-Cell Anemia
Bruno Strasser
How I Developed an Interest in the Question of the Nature of Things
Linus Pauling
The Discovery of the Alpha Helix
Linus Pauling
The Triple Helix
Thomas Hager
The Genesis of the Molecular Clock
Gregory J. Morgan
Orthomolecular Medicine Defined
Linus Pauling
"There Will Always Be Something Interesting"
Interview with Neil A. Campbell
Part III. Linus Pauling, The Peace Work
An Episode That Changed My Life
Linus Pauling
The Ultimate Decision
Linus Pauling
Meet the Press
Science and Peace, Nobel Lecture 1963
Linus Pauling
Man--An Irrational Animal
Linus Pauling
A World in Which Every Human Being Can Live a Good Life
Linus Pauling
Part IV. Linus Pauling, Facets
Pauling Bibliography
Index
“A stunning tapestry of Pauling’s life and work… [that] brings into focus the life of a scientist passionately dedicated to using the results of his scientific endeavors to bring out the best in the human spirit.”
“The editors’ goal is to give first-time readers about Pauling an idea of his interests and accomplishments and to provide more knowledgeable scholars with new and valuable source materials… The result is a beautifully produced book, a marvelous compilation.”
