How is it that nobody--except maybe scientists--sees science for what it is? In this entertaining and provocative book, Lewis Wolpert draws on the entire history of science, from Thales of Miletus to Watson and Crick, from the study of eugenics to the discovery of the double helix. The result is a scientist's view of the culture of science, authoritative and informed and at the same time mercifully accessible to those who find cohabiting with this culture a puzzling experience. Science is arguably the defining feature of our age. For anyone who hopes to understand its nature, this lively and thoughtful book provides the perfect starting point.

Based on a highly successful BBC series, A Passion for Science features thirteen informal conversations with eminent scientists--including physicists, molecular biologists, cancer researchers, and astronomers--who speak with remarkable candor and good humor about the personal side of science. Edited to stand alone and including expanded introductions as well as an opening chapter, the interviews focus on why they became scientists, what they find most rewarding about their work, and what it feels like to make a major discovery. In this collection of conversations with Lewis Wolpert, such eminent scientists as Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam, Christopher Zeeman, John Maynard Smith, Stephen Jay Gould, Anthony Epstein, and Richard Gregory provide highly entertaining and non-technical accounts of the activity that dominates their lives. At once humorous, insightful, and inspiring, the stories these scientists tell offer a vivid portrait of scientific work, the day-to-day routine, and the moments that come once in a lifetime.