Linus Pauling in His Own Words: Selections From his Writings, Speeches and Interviews

by Linus Pauling, Barbara Marinacci (Editor)

Linus Pauling was a scientific genius, the only winner of two unshared Nobel Prizes. But he was also an original, often controversial thinker whose knowledge encompassed an astonishing range of disciplines. A theoretician by nature, he was as active outside of the laboratory as he was in it and was especially outspoken on the obligations of the scientist to society. He was probably better known for his political activism and his championing of vitamin C than for his brilliant contributions to structural chemistry and molecular biology. Culled from sixty years of his essays, books, speeches, and interviews, and selected with the general reader in mind, Linus Pauling in His Own Words is the first anthology of Pauling's writings, with an introduction that Pauling himself completed only months before his death in 1994. Pauling was even more passionate about his social activism than he was about his science. Despite the threat to his professional reputation, he crusaded on behalf of world peace and against atomic weaponry. He denounced the testing of nuclear weapons (his own radiation research helped bring about a ban on testing in the atmosphere, which earned him a Nobel Peace Prize). At an address he gave to assembled university students in 1954 upon the receipt of his first Nobel Prize, Pauling put his own philosophy into words: "Never put your trust in anything but your own intellect...always think for yourself."

Genres: Science, Biography, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1995

About the author

Linus Carl Pauling, Chemistry, Winner of multiple Nobel Prizes including 2 unshared awards

Reviews

[Saad Bhamla · Rating 2 out of 5]

So so.
Linus's writings are great, but I dislike the way the authors style of "narrating".

[Stella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a bit disappointed by this 2 times Nobel prize winner, he seems so full of himself that undervalues anything, but the study of chemistry (almost) and aside from this, even his general reasoning does not seem to me of an extremely evolved person... he is extremely ego-centric and believes he can solve any problem if he wants to, but there are some flaws in his line of reasoning like when he talks about vaccines, vitamins and democracy... he seems the scientific-official voice of the current establishment and "world order" or whatever you want to call it... I expected a Nobel laureate to be far superior.
Furthermore, the interventions of the editor Barbara Marinacci in the text, are too frequents and seem to wanting to use the book to receive financial support for the (theoretically non-profit, aside from the high salaries) institute she works in.

[Margaret Tyler]

I skimmed most of this book & focused on his chapters as a "Vitamin Crusader."

"...the possibilities of improvement in the health of the American people and of other people in the world by improved nutrition are truly great. It is astounding to me that the medical profession has paid so little attention to these possibilities during the last few decades."