A masterful, timely, fully authorized biography of the great and
hugely influential biologist and naturalist E. O. Wilson, one of the
most ground-breaking and controversial scientists of our time--from the
Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb
"An impressive account of one of the 20th century's most prominent
biologists, for whom the natural world is 'a sanctuary and a realm of
boundless adventure; the fewer the people in it, the better.'" --The
New York Times Book Review
Few biologists in the long history of that science have been as
productive, as ground-breaking and as controversial as the Alabama-born
Edward Osborne Wilson. At 91 years of age he may be the most eminent
American scientist in any field.
Fascinated from an early age by the natural world in general and ants in
particular, his field work on them and on all social insects has vastly
expanded our knowledge of their many species and fascinating ways of
being. This work led to his 1975 book Sociobiology, which created an
intellectual firestorm from his contention that all animal behavior,
including that of humans, is governed by the laws of evolution and
genetics. Subsequently Wilson has become a leading voice on the crucial
importance to all life of biodiversity and has worked tirelessly to
synthesize the fields of science and the humanities in a fruitful way.
Richard Rhodes is himself a towering figure in the field of science
writing and he has had complete and unfettered access to Wilson, his
associates, and his papers in writing this book. The result is one of
the most accomplished and anticipated and urgently needed scientific
biographies in years.
