The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science

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Dava Sobel

The Elements of Marie Curie

How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science

Dava Sobel

$45

Hardback

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English

Fourth Estate Ltd
05 March 2025

Biography: science, technology & engineering; Nuclear medicine; Radiology; Atomic & molecular physics

ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Mme Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize twice, and in two different disciplines – physics and chemistry. This engaging book shows what she accomplished in the face of tradition, entrenched misogyny, occasional scandal, ill-health and through sheer persistence, combined with a stunning intellectual capacity for thorough research. She achieved many firsts in the scientific world and also generously mentored, taught and encouraged other brilliant women to follow in her path. Highly recommended! Lindy

Dava Sobel, acclaimed and bestselling author of Longitude, chronicles the life and work of the most famous woman in the history of science – and the untold story of the young women who trained in her laboratory.

‘A fresh and feminist study of the pioneering Nobel laureate reveals her impact on the women she mentored and set on the path to prominence’ Observer

‘It is a novel lens through which to view Curie’s story, and Sobel paints her tale with characteristic deftness and eloquence’ Financial Times

For decades Marie Curie was the only woman in the room at international scientific gatherings, and despite constant illness she travelled far and wide to share the secrets of radioactivity, a term she coined. She is still the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two scientific fields.

Her ingenuity extended far beyond the laboratory walls; grieving the death of her husband, Pierre, she took his place as professor of physics at the Sorbonne, devotedly raised two daughters, drove a van she outfitted with x-ray equipment to the front lines of World War I, befriended Albert Einstein and inspired generations of young women to pursue science as a way of life.

Approaching Marie Curie from a unique angle, Sobel navigates her remarkable discoveries and fame alongside the women who became her legacy – from Norway’s Ellen Gleditsch and France’s Marguerite Perry, who discovered the element francium, to her own daughter, Irene, a Nobel Prize winner in her own right. The Elements of Marie Curie deftly illuminates the trailblazing life and enduring influence of one of the most consequential figures of our time.

‘A lucid, literate biography, celebrating a scientific exemplar who, for all her fame, deserves to be better known’ Kirkus

‘As expected from a Pulitzer Prize finalist, Sobel writes beautifully and with clarity about the science that Curie specialised in, making clear the achievements that her lab brought about’ Daily Mail

‘This is an essential read, capturing both [Curie's] genius and her legacy’ New Scientist

‘Sobel’s book is a luminous and illuminating contribution to the cause’ Literary Review

By: Dava Sobel
Imprint: Fourth Estate Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 159mm, Spine: 36mm
Weight: 560g
ISBN: 9780008536916
ISBN 10: 0008536910
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 05 March 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Dava Sobel is the author of the international bestseller Longitude, the bestselling Pulitzer Prize finalist Galileo’s Daughter, The Planets, A More Perfect Heaven, And the Sun Stood Still and The Glass Universe, and co-author of The Illustrated Longitude. She is the recipient of the Individual Public Service Award from the National Science Board, the Harrison Medal from the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, and the Klumpke-Roberts Award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific among other honours. A former New York Times science reporter, she originated and continues to edit the monthly Meter poetry column in Scientific American.

Reviews for The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science

Praise for Dava Sobel: 'She has an extraordinary gift of making difficult ideas clear' Daily Telegraph 'If you like your science lyrical, Dava Sobel is the author for you’ Independent 'Sobel is an elegant stylist, a riveting and efficient storyteller, a writer who can bring the dustiest of subjects to full-blooded life' New York Times 'Sobel's enthusiasm for her subject is absolute and she succeeds in transmitting it to the reader, quite a feat when the subject matter can be so tricky to grasp' Sunday Telegraph 'Lively, inventive … a masterly specimen of close-range cultural history' Wall Street Journal