Here we have an 83-minute interview of Matthew Crick by Michael Shermer; the topic is Francis Crick as described in Matthew’s new book Crick: A Mind in Motion. Talking to a friend last night, I realized that the two best biographies of scientists I’ve read are Matthew’s book and Janet Browne’s magisterial two-volume biography of Darwin (the two-book set is a must-read, and I recommend both, though Princeton will issue in June a one-volume condensation).
At any rate, if you want to get an 83-minute summary of Matthew’s book, or see if you want to read the book, as you should, have a listen to Matthew’s exposition at the link below. I have recommended his and Browne’s books because they’re not only comprehensive, but eminently readable, and you can get a sense of Matthew’s eloquence by his off-the-cuff discussion with Shermer.
Click below to listen.
I’ve put the cover below because Shermer mentions it at the outset of the discussion:
Ha! What a co-inky-dink. As it happens, I just discovered that my copy of Crick, which was supposed to have arrived yesterday, got mis-delivered. They sent me a photo of it on a doorstep. Looks good. Problem is, it’s not my door.
Ah well. While I wait for it again, I’ll watch this. Thanks.
It is monday morning; so I do not know how many readers will see this, but wanted to comment. I started reading Matthew’s “Crick” yesterday on a cold (40F), rainy, nor’easter afternoon and completed the prolog and first three chapters. It was excellent writing, per the usual Matthew. The chapters seem to be nice 20-25 page bites in general, and the material is informative and entertains…even for me, an engineer. I had a hard time putting it down when other duties vied for attention later and look forward to getting back to it and reading a couple more chapters today.
For those who would like to listen to Dr Cobb, the Royal Society posted a video of the 2024 Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Prize Lecture on their YouTube channel: