Molecular biology of the gene

New York : W.A. Benjamin Inc., 1965. Octavo, while cloth with double-helix design on upper board, lettered on spine, illustrated dustjacket (corners bumped, edges rubbed), edges of text block foxed, pp. xxii494, with numerous diagrams, a very good copy.

The foundation book on molecular biology, written by Nobel Prize-winning biologist James D. Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA double helix in 1953. Watson’s work clarified the rapid discoveries into genes which had been made in the previous decade, unifying the disparate studies into a single discipline of molecular biology. The clear and instructive graphic illustrations by Keith Roberts clarified the writing of Watson and set a new standard for scientific textbook design. It remains one of the most read and studied textbooks of biology.