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Robert Burns Woodward : Architect and Artist in the World of

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this book is jam-packed with primary sources concerning the life and works of r.b. woodward: journal articles, unpublished speeches, photographs of the man, drafts of his papers bearing hand-written corrections. it also includes some commentary from colleagues and family. an excellent resource for anyone interested in the history and process of organic chemical (and scientific, in general) research.

Nobel Prize winner Robert Burns Woodward (called 'R B' by his colleagues and students) was the greatest organic chemist of the twentieth century, a legend in his own lifetime. By the time he entered high school, he had already digested college chemistry, and his professors at MIT realised they had an exceptional person in their classes. Before he was 25, Woodward became an instructor at Harvard, and before he was 35, became a full professor. Woodward won a Nobel Prize, and would have almost certainly won another one if it were not for his untimely death. Without him, organic chemistry may have been quite different today. Even in the exalted world of Harvard faculty, he stood out as being exceptional.

Woodward was an unparalleled master in the synthesis of complex organic molecules, of the kind that have given rise to many of the necessities of modern life, including plastics and pharmaceuticals. But he looked at them as much more than practically useful entities; he synthesized them the way a Michelangelo would sculpt a David, or the way a Mozart would tie together a symphony. For him organic molecules were great architectures, and he was the greatest architect and artist in the world of molecules, whose achievements probably will never be paralleled. More than anyone else, he elevated their synthesis to the stature of an art.

This book is a testament to his astonishing skills and achievements. It contains facsimilies of all his important papers, transcripts of interviews and speeches, and rare photos of the man not seen elsewhere. These items are enlivened with rare reproductions of his handwritten notes. The interviews feature many of his colleagues and students who worked with him. They talk about his singular habits, his prodigious energy, unbelievable memory, and an attention to detail that would leave fellow chemists with their mouths wide open. For chemists, it will provide a window into the mind of a genius, who achieved feats that those before him had thought impossible. For non-chemists, the non-chemical parts of the book will give an insight into what kind of a man and scientist he was, the Einstein of his field. It should be on the shelves of every chemist who wants to know about the best that his field can produce. I am glad that a book of this quality and size is available at a reasonable price.