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Graphic Science - Seven Journeys of Discovery
Overlooked, sidelined, excluded, discredited: key figures in scientific discovery come and take their bow in an alternative Nobel prize gallery.
Much is known about scientists such as Darwin, Newton, and Einstein, but what about those with lesser-known names who have nevertheless contributed greatly to human knowledge? Celebrated author Darryl Cunningham draws compelling portraits of eight scientists who for reasons of gender, race, mental health, poverty - excessive wealth, even - have not won the recognition they deserve.
Antoine Lavoiser: the father of French chemistry who gave oxygen its name, Lavoiser was a wealthy man who found himself on the wrong side of a revolution and paid the price with his life. The contribution to his work by his wife Marie-Anne Lavoisier is only now being fully recognised.
Mary Anning: a poor, working-class woman who made her living fossil-hunting along the beach cliffs of southern England. Anning was excluded from the scientific community whilst wealthy male experts took credit for her discoveries.
George Washington Carver: born a slave, Carver become one of the most prominent botanists of his time, as well as a teacher at the Tuskegee Institute. Carver devised over 100 products using one major ingredient the peanut.
Alfred Wegener: a German meteorologist, balloonist and arctic explorer, his theory of continental drift was derided by other scientists and was only accepted into mainstream thinking after his death. He died in Greenland.
Nikola Tesla: a Serbian American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. A competitor of Edison, Tesla died in poverty despite his intellectual brilliance.
Joyce Bell Burnell: a Northern Irish astrophysicist who discovered the first radio pulsars (supernova remnants) as a postgraduate student. Antony Hewish, her thesis supervisor, shared the Nobel Prize in physics while she was excluded.
Fred Hoyle: an English astronomer whose controversial positions were often in direct opposition to prevailing theories, an approach that contributed to his being overlooked by the Nobel committee for his stellar nucleosynthesis work.
Much is known about scientists such as Darwin, Newton, and Einstein, but what about those with lesser-known names who have nevertheless contributed greatly to human knowledge? Celebrated author Darryl Cunningham draws compelling portraits of eight scientists who for reasons of gender, race, mental health, poverty - excessive wealth, even - have not won the recognition they deserve.
Antoine Lavoiser: the father of French chemistry who gave oxygen its name, Lavoiser was a wealthy man who found himself on the wrong side of a revolution and paid the price with his life. The contribution to his work by his wife Marie-Anne Lavoisier is only now being fully recognised.
Mary Anning: a poor, working-class woman who made her living fossil-hunting along the beach cliffs of southern England. Anning was excluded from the scientific community whilst wealthy male experts took credit for her discoveries.
George Washington Carver: born a slave, Carver become one of the most prominent botanists of his time, as well as a teacher at the Tuskegee Institute. Carver devised over 100 products using one major ingredient the peanut.
Alfred Wegener: a German meteorologist, balloonist and arctic explorer, his theory of continental drift was derided by other scientists and was only accepted into mainstream thinking after his death. He died in Greenland.
Nikola Tesla: a Serbian American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. A competitor of Edison, Tesla died in poverty despite his intellectual brilliance.
Joyce Bell Burnell: a Northern Irish astrophysicist who discovered the first radio pulsars (supernova remnants) as a postgraduate student. Antony Hewish, her thesis supervisor, shared the Nobel Prize in physics while she was excluded.
Fred Hoyle: an English astronomer whose controversial positions were often in direct opposition to prevailing theories, an approach that contributed to his being overlooked by the Nobel committee for his stellar nucleosynthesis work.
263 pages, Paperback
First published October 20, 2017
6 people are currently reading
269 people want to read
About the author
Darryl Cunningham
18 books132 followersBritish Artist Darryl Cunningham is the creator of the web-comics, 'Super-Sam and John-of-the-Night' and 'The Streets of San Diablo'. Darryl's work can also be found at his blog and flickr page. His book Psychiatric Tales has been published by Blank Slate in the UK and by Bloomsbury in the US.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 30, 2021
For fans of both biographies and science, this is a great read. It covers seven significant, albeit possibly not as renown as they deserve to be, scientists who have made important contributions to various fields of study and scientific disciplines, from agriculture to astronomy to chemistry and more. Because this is the age of long delayed justice, the book went out of its way to include different races and genders, not an easy task considering how much of science has been historically done by white men.
The book has some of those too, a nice international variety. One of which, a certain fancy electric car’s namesake, it seems the author didn’t care for very much, for this was the most unflattering of bios.
Other than that, the book maintains a uniformly factual approach with an occasional personal opinion/observation thrown in. The scientists featured here did not get a fair shake in their lifetimes, so it's all the more important to learn about them, as a sort of cosmic justice. The language is very plain and accessible and the art is cartoon style minimal, but both are actually perfectly effective in conveying the story without distracting from it and in no way does the plainness and accessibility of language comes through as dumbing down. So it’s really a lovely read, the sort of educational entertainment that’s actually enjoyable. I was already aware of a good amount of information in this book, but it was nice to revisit what was known and learn some new things along the way.
The author seems to specialize in this cartoon nonfiction books and I’m very glad our library is getting more of them, since I intend to read more of his work. Great way to learn. Great way to bring knowledge to a nation of science deniers, too, really, just make it look like silly cartoons and then wham them with knowledge. This was very good. Recommended.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
The book has some of those too, a nice international variety. One of which, a certain fancy electric car’s namesake, it seems the author didn’t care for very much, for this was the most unflattering of bios.
Other than that, the book maintains a uniformly factual approach with an occasional personal opinion/observation thrown in. The scientists featured here did not get a fair shake in their lifetimes, so it's all the more important to learn about them, as a sort of cosmic justice. The language is very plain and accessible and the art is cartoon style minimal, but both are actually perfectly effective in conveying the story without distracting from it and in no way does the plainness and accessibility of language comes through as dumbing down. So it’s really a lovely read, the sort of educational entertainment that’s actually enjoyable. I was already aware of a good amount of information in this book, but it was nice to revisit what was known and learn some new things along the way.
The author seems to specialize in this cartoon nonfiction books and I’m very glad our library is getting more of them, since I intend to read more of his work. Great way to learn. Great way to bring knowledge to a nation of science deniers, too, really, just make it look like silly cartoons and then wham them with knowledge. This was very good. Recommended.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
March 5, 2022
A nonfiction graphic novel about seven different scientists, some I had heard of and others new to me. I was especially intrigued by all the controversy surrounding them and the lack of credit given to some of the scientists in this book. This format was an easy way to learn a lot about some important scientific theories, as well as the personal lives os the scientists themselves. I am doing a library bingo card, which is forcing me out my comfort zone and into new book genres and formats. Every reader needs a jolt now and then!
December 31, 2017
I learnt a lot with the book and I feel like reading more about fields of science that are not my own. Great job in making the characters humans rather than geniuses-by-miracle.
September 26, 2017
(With thanks to nudge-books.com/newbooks for my review copy.)
I don't normally read graphic novels but was immediately drawn to the cover of Daryl Cunningham's latest book, 'Graphic Science'. A work of non-fiction, it tells the story of seven scientists that are less well-known in their respective fields - Antoine Lavoisier, Mary Anning, George Washington Carver, Alfred Wegener, Nikola Tesla, Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Fred Hoyle.
And how beautifully does the author illustrate these people's lives! His drawing style reminds me of Tom Gauld's (which is no bad thing!) The illustrations are crisp, clear and concise, and mirroring this are Daryl's scientific explanations of each individual's theories and achievements. As someone with only basic scientific knowledge, I found his explanations and accompanying illustrations clear and easy to understand, making this book a real delight to read.
'Graphic Science' is a wonderful book that can be read in one sitting or dipped in and out of at leisure. It's both informative and entertaining. I think it's great that Daryl Cunningham has deliberately chosen people who, because of their social standing or their background, weren't given the accolades they so richly deserved at the time and are only now given the recognition they deserve. A special mention also for his excellent introduction to the book, which is passionate and should resonate with today's society.
'Graphic Science' is one of those books which you buy for yourself, and then end up buying several more copies to give to your friends and family as it's so good. Read and enjoy!
I don't normally read graphic novels but was immediately drawn to the cover of Daryl Cunningham's latest book, 'Graphic Science'. A work of non-fiction, it tells the story of seven scientists that are less well-known in their respective fields - Antoine Lavoisier, Mary Anning, George Washington Carver, Alfred Wegener, Nikola Tesla, Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Fred Hoyle.
And how beautifully does the author illustrate these people's lives! His drawing style reminds me of Tom Gauld's (which is no bad thing!) The illustrations are crisp, clear and concise, and mirroring this are Daryl's scientific explanations of each individual's theories and achievements. As someone with only basic scientific knowledge, I found his explanations and accompanying illustrations clear and easy to understand, making this book a real delight to read.
'Graphic Science' is a wonderful book that can be read in one sitting or dipped in and out of at leisure. It's both informative and entertaining. I think it's great that Daryl Cunningham has deliberately chosen people who, because of their social standing or their background, weren't given the accolades they so richly deserved at the time and are only now given the recognition they deserve. A special mention also for his excellent introduction to the book, which is passionate and should resonate with today's society.
'Graphic Science' is one of those books which you buy for yourself, and then end up buying several more copies to give to your friends and family as it's so good. Read and enjoy!
September 28, 2018
There is a quote on the front of the book that says: "It can take other authors whole books to say what Darryl can say in a single illustration". This is not entirely fair. The illustrations are simple and the chapters give brief snippets from the lives of seven scientists. I say that not to condemn the book but to praise it. I think it does an outstanding job of giving just enough information to pique interest and it certainly made me interested enough to hit the internet after each chapter and do a bit more research on the people in Graphic Science. Darryl Cunningham gave just enough, in an engaging and interesting manner, to make me want to find out more. Job done!
My only criticism would be the author's confusion over science and religious belief. In the chapter on Mary Anning he states, "...this was to be the last era in which religious belief and science would be compatible.". Clearly this is nonsense or "scientist" and "atheist" would be synonyms. Interestingly, I read this book shortly after reading Galileo's Daughter which argued that, contrary to modern expectations, Galileo was a good Catholic and quotes one of his letters where he says, "...I think in the first place that it is very pious to say and prudent to affirm that the holy Bible can never speak untruth - whenever its true meaning is understood.". He ends the same letter with this summary: "That the intention of the Holy Ghost is to teach us how one goes to heaven, not how heaven goes.". Despite the popular understanding of what happened to Galileo, it can be argued that he was more than able to reconcile his religious belief and his scientific discoveries.
That aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it as an introduction to some lesser known but important characters in science.
My only criticism would be the author's confusion over science and religious belief. In the chapter on Mary Anning he states, "...this was to be the last era in which religious belief and science would be compatible.". Clearly this is nonsense or "scientist" and "atheist" would be synonyms. Interestingly, I read this book shortly after reading Galileo's Daughter which argued that, contrary to modern expectations, Galileo was a good Catholic and quotes one of his letters where he says, "...I think in the first place that it is very pious to say and prudent to affirm that the holy Bible can never speak untruth - whenever its true meaning is understood.". He ends the same letter with this summary: "That the intention of the Holy Ghost is to teach us how one goes to heaven, not how heaven goes.". Despite the popular understanding of what happened to Galileo, it can be argued that he was more than able to reconcile his religious belief and his scientific discoveries.
That aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it as an introduction to some lesser known but important characters in science.
March 25, 2018
I wish I could give this 10 stars.
A supernova of stars.
This is an excellently and expertly written account of 7 different scientists throughout history. Some slightly overlooked, some well-known.
It should be assigned in schools as a fantastic way of introducing older kids (and younger precocious ones) to scientific history.
But don't let the comic format lead you to make the incorrect assumption that this is a kid's book.
Not at all.
It was so enjoyable and elucidating - I only wish that Mr. Cunningham should do one of these volumes for each "discipline" in the world: art, philosophy, literature, etc.
A supernova of stars.
This is an excellently and expertly written account of 7 different scientists throughout history. Some slightly overlooked, some well-known.
It should be assigned in schools as a fantastic way of introducing older kids (and younger precocious ones) to scientific history.
But don't let the comic format lead you to make the incorrect assumption that this is a kid's book.
Not at all.
It was so enjoyable and elucidating - I only wish that Mr. Cunningham should do one of these volumes for each "discipline" in the world: art, philosophy, literature, etc.
July 8, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this comic. I put off reading the book because it seemed long for a comic, but I read it pretty quickly. Unlike other science-related comics, there isn't too much writing per panel. Regardless, a fair amount of detail is still conveyed and I learned a lot about each of the featured scientists. The drawing took a bit for me to get used to (it is heavily stylized, emphasizing on simplicity), but it grew on me and I was sad to be finished when I reached the end of the book. I was hoping to find Graphic Science as part of a series, but am just happy that I came across the book at all.
November 16, 2018
Darryl Cunningham’s brief biographies of notable scientists is really good. It focuses on outsiders like paleontologist Mary Anning, botanist George Washington Carver, and astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell rather than better known figures like Darwin and Newton, and brings both the lives and the science to life. I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand the concepts in the Bell Burnell or Fred Hoyle chapters, but a failing on my part.
March 9, 2025
I enjoyed the illustrations and the storytelling, it was very well done. Some of the stories I knew about before reading, others I hadn’t heard of, so it was refreshing to read about scientists who didn’t get credit for their work in their lifetimes. There are many more scientists who never got credit for their work in this world and it would be great if more books were published to acknowledge their contributions. I would give this a 3.5 star rating.
March 15, 2020
Graphic biographies of some not well known scientists, emphasising the human side of every one of them.
The history of Tesla is one of the best ones, as the popular myth usually portrays him as a misunderstood genius. This book shows the man from more human perspective, speaking both his failures and successes.
The history of Tesla is one of the best ones, as the popular myth usually portrays him as a misunderstood genius. This book shows the man from more human perspective, speaking both his failures and successes.
July 8, 2018
A history-of-science graphic novel following the careers of seven (relatively) lesser-known scientific figures. Learn about their successes and their often almost as important failures. Get it for your kids. End up reading it yourself. It's really good.
January 25, 2019
I just love this series of Graphic novels/journalism. Darryl has a particular style to describe and tell a story. Once you open one of his books you can't just stop.
What I loved from this one in particular is the extensive 'sources' cited at the end... will continue reading, for sure.
What I loved from this one in particular is the extensive 'sources' cited at the end... will continue reading, for sure.
January 29, 2018
An excelent book. So good we bought a copy as a present for somebody else.
July 6, 2019
This was an absolutely fascinating read about some not so well known scientists, a must for the curious reader.
April 28, 2022
An excellent collection of graphic biographies of scientists we all should hear more about.
December 21, 2023
Nice portrayal of “forgotten” scientist heroes.
August 6, 2024
Leuk concept, een beetje te veel 'en toen, en toen, en toen'
August 21, 2021
Educational. A unique format for telling scientific narratives and the people involved. It works well!
September 13, 2018
I’d loved to see this on a school curriculum. Bringing scientific history and the human side of endeavour to life.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews