Stephen S. Hall » Books

Size Matters (2006)

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:57:20 +0000

How do children grow, and in terms of height, what is “normal”? In this “masterful” (Growth, Genetics & Hormones) narrative that combines up-to-date science with personal memoir, Size Matters describes the psychology, sociology and biology of childhood growth from the perspective of the author, who ranked at the first percentile of the growth chart at the beginning of high school.

“Readers will find it so enlightening, informative, and entertaining that a significant majority will finish it quickly and completely.” –Robert M. Blizzard, University of Virginia School of Medicine.

Merchants of Immortality (2003)

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:56:27 +0000

This “poetic” (Business Week) and authoritative history of regenerative medicine “gives a timely and engrossing account of the high-stakes science of life-extension” (Publishers Weekly) and describes the biology, politics, business and ethics of stem cell research. “A remarkable book…a must-read” (Nature).

“Fascinating, accurate, and accessible… compelling.”— Atul Gawande

A Commotion in the Blood (1997)

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:54:42 +0000

Can manipulation of the immune system affect the course of cancer? This “masterly” history of immunotherapy describes efforts by scientists to use the immune system to treat cancer. The narrative, “as gripping as a spy thriller” (Kirkus Reviews), ranges from the 19th century use of “Coley’s toxins” through the development of immune-based drugs like interferon. The background history of monoclonal antibody drugs like Rituxan and modern cancer vaccines is “an example of science journalism at its best” (Science).

“Rarely is one privileged with such a view—neither jaundiced nor wide-eyed but clear and insightful.” – Jerome Groopman

Mapping the Next Millennium (1992)

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:49:05 +0000

This “dazzling, beautifully written” (Martin Gardner) survey places recent scientific research in the centuries-long tradition of cartography, and argues that new technologies of measurement, coupled with modern computer graphics capabilities, has allowed modern scientists to create maps of “fantastic” new physical domains. The creation of these new geographies (chromosome maps, fate maps, galaxy maps) is described in the context of power and dominion, and “fundamentally expands our notion of ‘mapping’” (David Woodward, general editor, History of Cartography).

“Simply a great book.” – William H. Goetzmann, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, University of Texas

Invisible Frontiers (1987)

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:28:18 +0000

This “important and pioneering book” (N.Y. Times Book Review) tells the inside story of the birth of the biotechnology industry. The “absorbing narrative” (New York Times) recounts the scientific race in the 1970s that led to the formation of Genentech and Biogen. In describing the competition to clone the human insulin gene, Invisible Frontiers is a “splendid piece of science writing” (Washington Post) that captures a historic moment in 20th century technological innovation.

“Stephen Hall tells a very good story.” – James D. Watson, author, The Double Helix