Linus Pauling: Scientist and Peacemaker by Clifford Mead (Repost)

When Linus Pauling was nine, his father proclaimed proudly his son's voracious reading appetite and his keen interest in ancient history and the natural sciences in a letter to the local paper. By the time he was 13, Pauling had already decided to become a chemist. From then on, an insatiable curiosity drove him tirelessly to solve puzzles in chemistry and physics. Along the way, he developed a new quantum theory of the chemical bond, which he described in his most important book, The Nature of the Chemical Bond, and the Structure of Molecules and Crystals. He applied his research to other areas, most notably an investigation into the causes of sickle-cell anemia, and in 1954 he won the Nobel Prize in chemistry. Pauling recoiled in horror when he witnessed the destructive uses to which science was put in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

He vowed in 1947 to "mention the need for world peace" in every lecture he gave. Because of these efforts, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962. Pauling archivist Mead and Pauling biographer Hager (Force of Nature) celebrate Pauling's 100th birthday by weaving reminiscences of Pauling with his own writings into a stunning tapestry of Pauling's life and work. The scientist's original writings range from his boyish resolutions to "make use of my slide rule, and to go out for track and succeed" to his Nobel Peace Prize speech in 1963. This lively collection brings into focus the life of a scientist passionately dedicated to using the results of his scientific endeavors to bring out the best in the human spirit.