Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA magnificent, definitive, and indefatigable tribute to an indefatigable man . . . Greene beautifully puts the record straight with a portrait of Wegener as a respected 'cosmic physicist.'
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NatureIn this book Mott Greene has ably explained every detail of Wegener’s ideas and research and has created a well-deserved tribute to one of the most creative and energetic scientists of the twentieth century.
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MetascienceA remarkably detailed and wonderfully well-written biography of Alfred Wegener . . . Includes insight into what makes a person such as Wegener a genius—what it was about him that led to an ability to create such a novel and correct view of nature. That is the true value of this exceptional book, to be able to feel as though one can literally experience the scientific genius that was Alfred Wegener.
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ChoiceMott Greene's magnificent book reveals deep themes and connections to Wegener's many fruitful ideas and extraordinary scientific accomplishments, even as it examines the many distinct dimensions of thought and action that emanated from Wegener's apparently heedless embrace of all manner of risk-taking . . . Anglophone readers, especially, have never had such an opportunity to understand Alfred Wegener.
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ScienceDirectThis biography is clearly a labor of love for its author. Greene worked on this book for more than twenty years, conducting archival research, visiting libraries and collections across Europe and in North America, and conducting interviews with key figures, including Wegener’s surviving family members . . . I came away with a renewed appreciation for Wegener as an engaged scientist who refused to let the boundaries of academic disciplines dampen his enthusiasm for scientific endeavor.
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AAG Review of BooksMott Greene spent twenty years working on
Alfred Wegener, a masterpiece in which he revolutionizes our understanding of Wegener, just as Wegener revolutionized our understanding of the Earth . . . a brilliant and compelling account of the life of one of the most talented, versatile, and remarkable scientists in history.
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IsisGreene has created an important work that gives context to one of the most recent paradigm shifts in science . . . Greene tells the story with enough documentation to keep the story grounded in reality, yet uses his prose to maintain interest even after the 'eureka' moment, even after Wegener’s death on the ice.
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Science & EducationTable of ContentsPreface
Acknowledgments
1. The Boy
2. The Student
3. The Astronomer
4. The Aerologist
5. The Polar Meteorologist
6. The Arctic Explorer (1)
7. The Atmospheric Physicist (1)
8. The Atmospheric Physicist (2)
9. At a Crossroads
10. The Theorist of Continental Drift (1)
11. The Theorist of Continental Drift (2)
12. The Arctic Explorer (2)
13. The Soldier
14. The Meteorologist
15. The Geophysicist
16. From Geophysicist to Climatologist
17. The Paleoclimatologist
18. The Professor
19. Theorist and Arctic Explorer
20. The Expedition Leader
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliographical Essay
Index
