The Elements of Marie Curie by Dava Sobel - Hardcover
The Elements of Marie Curie by Dava Sobel – Hardcover
Step into the extraordinary world of Marie Curie, the only person ever to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields, and uncover the untold stories of the brilliant women she inspired. From the acclaimed author of Galileo's Daughter and Longitude, Dava Sobel masterfully weaves together a biography that shines as brightly as Curie herself.
In The Elements of Marie Curie, Sobel explores the life of the iconic scientist who forever changed our understanding of radioactivity. From her groundbreaking work alongside her husband Pierre, earning the Nobel Prize in Physics, to her solo achievements in Chemistry, Curie's story is one of relentless passion, profound sacrifice, and remarkable brilliance. But Sobel doesn’t stop at just Curie’s achievements—she also introduces the pioneering women who followed in Curie’s footsteps, including the legendary Irène Joliot-Curie, Curie’s daughter and fellow Nobel laureate.
Curie was not only a scientist; she was a force of nature. After the death of her beloved husband, she became the first female professor at the Sorbonne, raised two brilliant daughters, and even drove an x-ray-equipped van to the front lines during the First World War. Her scientific tours across the United States won her a legion of admirers, and Sobel paints a vivid portrait of Curie, not just as a scientific pioneer, but as a woman who captured the imagination of the world.
Through the lens of Curie’s life and the legacies she left behind, Sobel captures the essence of a woman whose name will forever be synonymous with discovery, determination, and groundbreaking achievement.
This stunning tribute to Marie Curie is a must-read for anyone captivated by the stories of trailblazing women in science, and a testament to the enduring power of curiosity and dedication. With The Elements of Marie Curie, Dava Sobel delivers a brilliant and inspiring portrait of one of the greatest minds in history.
Author Profile
Dava Sobel is the author of the international bestseller Longitude, the bestselling Pulitzer Prize finalist Galileo's Daughter, The Planets, A More Perfect Heaven, And the Sun Stood Still, and The Glass Universe, and co-author of The Illustrated Longitude. She is the recipient of the Individual Public Service Award from the National Science Board, the Bradford Washburn Award, the Kumpke-Roberts Award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among other honors. A former New York Times science reporter, and currently editor of the "Meter" poetry column in Scientific American, she lives on Long Island.
Critic Reviews
Praise for The Elements of Marie Curie:
Named a Best Book of the Year by Barnes and Noble (History)
Named a Best Science and Nature Book of the Year by the Guardian
"Ms. Sobel takes the familiar story of Marie Curie and crosscuts it. The journey of the Polish-French physicist who helped unlock the secrets of radioactivity was never straightforward, but it was also never taken alone. Woven into the account of Curie's life are the lives of other women . . . What sets Ms. Sobel's biography apart isn't the timeline or the events of her subject's life; it's those women of science whose lives intersected with Curie's, a cast of brilliant researchers and thinkers that the author skillfully weaves into her narrative."--Brandy Schillace, Wall Street Journal
"A novel lens through which to view Curie's story, and Sobel paints her tale with characteristic deftness and eloquence . . . Sobel's great skill as a writer--as readers of her past works such as Longitude will know--is her ability to explain complex technical problems and the ways human ingenuity overcomes them."--Jonathan Ford, Financial Times
"A fresh and feminist study of the pioneering Nobel laureate reveals her impact on the women she mentored and set on the path to prominence . . . [An] unabashedly feminist account of the great woman's life . . . [Sobel's] short and well-paced book succeeds in dispelling the dust that clings to some accounts of this most famous of lives and makes it fresh again."--Laura Spinney, The Guardian
"Sobel crafts a deep and intimate glimpse of the woman behind the science . . . The Elements of Marie Curie is much more than a biography. It is a tribute to a woman who redefined what was possible for women in science, inspiring generations to follow her. Sobel's elegant prose and thoughtful use of personal and historical accounts bring Curie to life, offering a nuanced portrait of a woman whose contributions to science were matched by quiet strength, humility and commitment to humanity. This is an essential read, capturing both her genius and her legacy."--Chen Ly, New Scientist
"A fresh portrait of the icon and two-time Nobel laureate . . . Well-researched and compellingly written . . . The Elements of Marie Curie beautifully illuminates the science and the scientists that Curie devoted her life to developing . . . Sobel gives us a chance to share in the excitement and delight of the work that made Curie and her dozens of scientific offspring glow so brightly."--Michelle Francl, Nature
"Sobel writes elegantly about science, unspooling Curie's pursuits in the lab like a mystery."--Kate Zernike, New York Times Book Review
"[Sobel] brings a new perspective, one that rhymes with contemporary understandings about how scientific discoveries are made . . . Introduces us to the legion of people, many of them women, who worked alongside Curie throughout her career, supporting, expanding and translating her work so that its significance and reputation was carried round the world."--Kathryn Hughes, The Times (UK)
"A vivid narrative that uses Curie's well-known story as scaffolding for tales of the brilliant young women who trained in her lab and became part of her scientific legacy . . . This superbly rendered portrait of Curie and her intellectual offspring could inspire many bright minds to follow in the scientist's footsteps for generations to come."--Vijaysree Venkatraman, Science
"Paints a human portrait not of an isolated genius, but of a woman who existed in and built scientific community . . . Sobel analyzes her subject with care and thorough detailed historical and personal accounts . . . An essential read for anyone who values works that highlight women in the sciences."--Shelf Awareness (starred review)
"Preeminent science writer Sobel brings forward a new array of female scientists in this vital portrait of Marie Curie and the women who joined her in her world-altering Paris laboratory . . . As Sobel vividly tells their tales of valor, diligence, and brilliance, she fuses elements human and scientific to create a dramatic group portrait encompassing passion, struggle, poignancy, and triumph."--Booklist (starred review)
"Admiring biography, by the noted popular historian of science, of the extraordinarily accomplished Madame Curie . . . A lucid, literate biography, celebrating a scientific exemplar who, for all her fame, deserves to be better known."--Kirkus Reviews
"Paints a human portrait not of an isolated genius, but of a woman who existed in and built scientific community . . . Sobel analyzes her subject with care and through detailed historical and personal accounts . . . An essential read for anyone who values works that highlight women in the sciences."--Shelf Awareness
"Marie Curie is one of the greatest scientists of all time and a pioneer for women. In this book Dava Sobel has brought her and those she inspired to life, with her characteristic accessible and scholarly writing. A book for our times celebrating both science and women."--Paul Nurse, author of What Is Life?
"Marie Sklodowska Curie was unique, but her influence irradiated the futures of 45 women who worked in her laboratory. By restoring these pioneers to visibility, acclaimed historian Dava Sobel casts fresh light on the life and achievements of the first scientist to win two Nobel prizes."--Dr. Patricia Fara, author of Science: A Four Thousand Year History
"Hard to put down! A wonderfully written biography of Marie Curie, that does not step away from the physics but also includes her life outside the lab, even including the black and white cat!"--Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Praise for Dava Sobel:
"Sobel is a master storyteller . . . What she has done, with her choice of excerpts and her strong sense of story, is bring a great scientist to life."--New York Times, on Galileo's Daughter
"[Sobel] shows herself a virtuoso at encapsulating the history and the politics of science. Her descriptions of Galileo's ideas... are pithy, vivid, and intelligible."--Wall Street Journal, on Galileo's Daughter
"Sobel does wonders clearly explaining scientific principles... [She] is a most original writer, with a reverence for history and storytelling."--USA Today, on Galileo's Daughter
"A gem of a book."--New York Times, on Longitude
"A simple tale, brilliantly told."--Washington Post Book World, on Longitude
"As much a tale of intrigue as it is of science . . . A book full of gems for anyone interested in history, geography, astronomy, navigation, clockmaking, and--not the least--plain old human ambition and greed."--Philadelphia Inquirer, on Longitude
"Ms. Sobel writes with an eye for a telling detail and an ear for an elegant turn of phrase . . . A joy to read."--Wall Street Journal, on The Glass Universe
"Sobel lucidly captures the intricate, interdependent constellation of people it took to unlock mysteries of the stars . . . The Glass Universe positively glows."--NPR
"An elegant historical tale...[from] the master storyteller of astronomy."--Boston Globe, on The Glass Universe
"Sobel mixes discussions of the most abstruse topics with telling glimpses of her subjects' lives, in the process showing how scientific and social progress often go hand in hand."--New Yorker, on The Glass Universe
"A peerless intellectual biography. The Glass Universe shines and twinkles as brightly as the stars themselves."--The EconomistProduct Details
ISBN: 9780802163820
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
Binding: Hardcover
Publication Date: October 08, 2024
Pages: 336
Country of Origin:
Age Group:
Dimensions (CM): L23.11W15.24H3.05
Weight (KG): 0.54