Book Description
Marie and Pierre Curie remain two of the most important scientists of the 20th century. Their pioneering work in the study of radioactivity led to the discovery of the elements radium and polonium. Later, they identified how atoms give off, or radiate, energy which would be the foundation for modern nuclear physics.

But for as successful as they were as scientific partners, theirs was also a love story. Coming from vastly different backgrounds, Marie grew up in politically repressed Poland and suffered the loss of a sister and her mother as a young girl. Pierre enjoyed an idyllic childhood and was educated at home by his brother and father. Although their friendship was initially based on their shared passion for science and research, it soon grew into a romantic love that would lead them to a personal relationship and professional partnership that would literally change the world. ... Read more

Product Description
Four works in one volume. Text in French. Black and white illustrations/photographs. ... Read more

Book Description
Marie and Pierre Curie were pioneers in the study of radioactivity, achieving world renown for their Nobel prize-winning discovery of radium and polonium. This biographical introduction to the couple describes the Curies' lives, their research, their marriage and Marie's controversial final years. ... Read more

Book Description
The purpose of this book is to gather contributions from scientists in fluid mechanics who use asymptotic methods to cope with difficult problems. The selected topics are as follows: vorticity and turbulence, hydrodynamic instability, non-linear waves, aerodynamics and rarefied gas flows. The last chapter of the book broadens the perspective with an overview of other issues pertaining to asymptotics, presented in a didactic way. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Workmanlike Biography
This is a good basic biography of Marie Curie. The writing is generally a little flat, punctuated with outcroppings of some rather odd word usages. For example, Pflaum consistently refers to Marie Curie being "enceinte," instead of simply saying she was pregnant. And we read about things like "the flairing of the wind." Not wrong - but something a little off about the phraseology here and there. It's as if Pflaum spent too much time in France researching her subjects and became distanced from the English language in the process.

However this book will certainly add to your knowledge of Marie Curie's amazing career. I found the chapter on her activities during World War I to be especially interesting. Curie and her daughter went out into the battlefields with the first mobile X-ray machines. They saved untold lives by being able to locate bullets and shrapnel in soldiers, and the exact site of breakages and other internal damage. I'd never realized Curie's brave contribution to that War effort.

Then you will find some unexpected insights into world politics here. In the course of discussing the Curies' contribution to the World War II effort, Pflaum explains how the Communists became an increasingly popular political alternative during the 1940s and 50s. They were so active in the wartime resistance, they gained the respect of a large percentage of the French and Italian peoples. Their heroism in defeating Fascism/Nazism no doubt played a part in establishing the Communist Party as a viable political faction in a number of European countries. Again, this was a larger back-story to the Cold War and succeeding geopolitical dynamics than I expected to find in a book simply about Marie Curie.

I wish though that Pflaum had supplied more scientific detail. You won't find much about the nature of radioactivity here so it's difficult for the reader to fully appreciate the Curies' achievement. You will probably want to check out some book of popular explanation of the atom to accompany your reading of Grand Obsession.

This book does convey Marie Curie's dedication to her work. She kept an unfailing schedule in her laboratory - through difficult personal times, through her own failing health. Because Pflaum's writing is not very inspired, this book will probably not inspire any young readers to similar heights of dedication to scientific pursuit. Grand Obsession may not have a very long half-life in your memory. But it radiates some of the spirit of Marie Curie.

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