Customer Reviews

Louis Pasteur

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I found the English translation so interesting that I could not put it down. I wish the book had been available when I started my own education. The author does an excellent job of relating the research of Pasteur to his historical setting. Pasteur was the model scientist and the author reveals this on page after page. This book should be required reading for students interested in any aspect of science. A well-worn copy of this book should be on the shelf of anyone interested in pursuing a career in science.

You bought this book because you wanted some insight into the life of the "father of microbiology." You wanted to see, in particular, whether his genius was carefully nurtured or if it arose spontaneously. You will be disappointed, and the reasons may never be clear. When a book translated from a foreign language under-achieves its objectives and leaves the reader unsatisfied, it is never clear if the fault lies with the author or the translator. Elborg Forster's translation of Patrice Debré's ambitious work has two closely-related problems. The first problem which the reader encounters is the density of the language. The ponderous syntax of the French intellectual is preserved in Forster's prose, and it does not work as well in English. The second problem is that either the author or the translator is not sufficiently scientifically literate to be able to explain Pasteur's original contributions. For example, Chapter Two provides a great discussion of "isomorphism," without ever explaining what the formal mathematical term means in the context of the growth of crystals. Also, speaking of "left-handed" and "right-handed" crystals, without informing the reader of how the terms are used, renders the meaning inaccessible to even the scientifically literate reader. Considering the amount of scholarship which obviously went into the book, it would have been worth the modicum of effort necessary to welcome the reader rather than challenge him. It's a shame. Such a great man; such a weak book.