This book achieves what its subtitle indicates. The author skilfully weaves
together the story of Bragg's life and of the scientific developments with
which he was most closely involved. The author has a good understanding of
Bragg's scientific work which he explains in considerable detail, with a
number of diagrams reproduced from Bragg's papers, and manages to convey
the excitement generated by Bragg's discoveries.
The salient points of Bragg's life are well known. He was born and brought up
in Australia and is still the youngest ever winner of a Nobel prize (though
Josephson did his seminal work at a comparable age, it took many years for
him to get his Prize). From 1914 to 1918 Bragg was involved with acoustic
methods of detecting enemy guns. From 1919 to 1938 he was Professor of
Physics in Manchester, and for about a year he was Director of the National
Physical Laboratory. He then went to Cambridge as Cavendish Professor until
1953, when he moved to the Royal Institution (where his father had been).
While an undergraduate at Cambridge 'Bragg's most influential teacher was...C T R Wilson [Nobel Laureate, 1927]...[whose] lectures "were the best, and
delivery the worst, of any lectures to which I have ever been. He mumbled
facing the board, he was very hesitant in his delivery, and yet the way he
presented the subject was quite brilliant'' '. One wonders how long Wilson's
inspirational teaching would survive today, with continual inspections and
the requirement to satisfy the demands of the jobsworths. Bragg's comments on
this would make interesting reading!
Bragg was a very successful public lecturer on science. He made use of vivid
analogies, many of which are quoted by Hunter. Since this book is published
by Oxford University Press, I hope that some of them may appear in future editions of The Oxford
Dictionary of Quotations. (Bragg is included in Mackay's A Dictionary of
Scientific Quotations (Bristol: Institute of Physics Publishing)). There are too many superb
quotations to include all of them in this review, but one of Bragg's Golden
Rules for newcomers to his laboratory should be on the door of every
experimental laboratory: 'Never be afraid to carry on an experiment which is
declared stupid by the theorists [sic] of the laboratory'.
This book is, as its subtitle implies, about Bragg and about his science.
Hunter has skilfully and seamlessly interwoven the two strands. At one minute
you are reading about the man and at the next you realize you are reading
about the science. In writing about the science, Hunter writes knowledgeably
and expects the reader to make an effort to understand. In this he is
following the precept of Bragg who, when advised to avoid technical terms
when lecturing to a lay audience, ridiculed this attitude with a telling
metaphor: 'What could be more technical than a description of a football
match? To picture the scientist's plight, one must imagine the sports expert
being told to describe the match using as little as possible such terms as
"ball'' or "goal'', and of course avoiding the very complex ideas involved in
"try'' or "offside'' '.
Bragg made several major contributions to crystallography and these are
described, as already mentioned. One has to concentrate quite hard to follow
but the effort is worthwhile and Hunter manages not only to convey the
excitement felt by Bragg and his colleagues but also to let the reader feel
it too.
Bragg interacted strongly with other crystallographers, not least with his
father, but also with Pauling. At times there was a close race between Bragg
and Pauling, which is fully discussed.
Bragg succeeded Rutherford at Cambridge. The appointment was controversial.
Under Rutherford the Cavendish Laboratory concentrated on nuclear physics,
while Bragg was a crystallographer, with little interest in nuclear physics.
However the crystallographic work Bragg encouraged on haemoglobin and DNA led
to several Nobel prizes. Bragg's activities in canvassing for Nobel prizes
are described: an impressive number were awarded to those
closely associated with Bragg.
For many years past, one of the highlights of television in Britain over
Christmas has been the series of Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, aimed
at children. In the days before video recorders, the lectures were broadcast
at about 5 pm and many of my colleagues in the Physics Department at the
University of Birmingham would rush home to watch them. They were
fascinating, and had marvellous demonstrations, organized by the memorable Mr
Coates, who is mentioned in this book. Mr Coates has retired, but the
lectures and the demonstrations continue, and long may they do so.
The Christmas Lectures have a long tradition. Bragg himself gave them in
1934, and when he became Director of the RI he strongly encouraged them. What
I had not realized until reading this book was the drama associated with
Bragg's appointment to the RI.
The author has had access to Bragg's papers, and quotes from them very
effectively.
This is a book I have enjoyed reading and reviewing. I have been tempted to
reproduce even more of the quotations of Bragg's own words, but I leave the
pleasure of finding them to you when you read the book. I strongly recommend it as essential reading for all physicists and
crystallographers, and indeed for all scientists at all stages in their
careers. Every university library must buy a copy.