The Monk inthe Garden; The Lost and Found Genius of Gregor Mendel, the Father of Genetics
by Henig, Robin Marantz
- Used
- Condition
- New UJ-W531-CU2R New
- ISBN 10
- 0395977657
- ISBN 13
- 9780395977651
- Seller
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FREDERICKSBURG, Virginia, United States
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About This Item
This acclaimed biography of 19th century scientist Gregor Mendel is "a fascinating tale of the strange twists and ironies of scientific progress" (Publishers Weekly).
A National Book Critics Circle Award finalist
In The Monk in the Garden, award-winning author Robin Marantz Henig vividly chronicles the birth of genetics, a field that continues to challenge the way we think about life itself. Tending to his pea plants in a monastery garden, the Moravian monk Gregor Mendel discovered the foundational principles of genetic inheritance. But Mendel's work was ignored during his lifetime, even though it answered the most pressing questions raised by Charles Darwin's revolutionary book, On the Origin of Species.
Thirty-five years after his death, Mendel's work was saved from obscurity when three scientists from three different countries nearly simultaneously dusted off his groundbreaking paper and finally recognized its profound significance. From the perplexing silence that greeted his discovery to his ultimate canonization as the father of genetics, Henig presents a tale filled with intrigue, jealousy, and a healthy dose of bad timing. Though little is known about Mendel's life, she "has done a remarkable job of fleshing out the myth with what few facts there are" (Washington Post Book World).
Synopsis
Most people know that Gregor Mendel, the Moravian monk who patiently grew his peas in a monastery garden, shaped our understanding of inheritance. But people might not know that Mendel's work was ignored in his own lifetime, even though it contained answers to the most pressing questions raised by Charles Darwin's revolutionary book, ON ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES, published only a few years earlier. Mendel's single chance of recognition failed utterly, and he died a lonely and disappointed man. Thirty-five years later, his work was rescued from obscurity in a single season, the spring of 1900, when three scientists from three different countries nearly simultaneously dusted off Mendel's groundbreaking paper and finally recognized its profound significance. The perplexing silence that greeted Mendel's discovery and his ultimate canonization as the father of genetics make up a tale of intrigue, jealousy, and a healthy dose of bad timing. Telling the story as it has never been told before, Robin Henig crafts a suspenseful, elegant, and richly detailed narrative that fully evokes Mendel's life and work and the fate of his ideas as they made their perilous way toward the light of day. THE MONK IN THE GARDEN is a literary tour de force about a little-known chapter in the history of science, and it brings us back to the birth of genetics - a field that continues to challenge the way we think about life itself.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Pacific Arbor (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 0717O8AAIGH
- Title
- The Monk inthe Garden; The Lost and Found Genius of Gregor Mendel, the Father of Genetics
- Author
- Henig, Robin Marantz
- Book Condition
- New New UJ-W531-CU2R New
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- ISBN 10
- 0395977657
- ISBN 13
- 9780395977651
- Publisher
- Houghton Mifflin
- Place of Publication
- Boston
- Date Published
- Jan 01, 2000
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- New
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