Acid Tongues and Tranquil Dreamers: Tales of Bitter Rivalry That Fueled the Advancement of Science and Technology

by Michael White

A history of science focuses on the rivalries underpinning some of the most important scientific and technological discoveries in human history.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, History

448 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Michael White was a British writer who was based in Perth, Australia. He studied at King's College London (1977–1982) and was a chemistry lecturer at d'Overbroeck's College, Oxford (1984–1991).
He was a science editor of British GQ, a columnist for the Sunday Express in London and, 'in a previous incarnation', he was a member of Colour Me Pop. Colour Me Pop featured on the "Europe in the Year Zero" EP in 1982 with Yazoo and Sudeten Creche and he was then a member of the group The Thompson Twins (1982). He moved to Australia in 2002 and was made an Honorary Research Fellow at Curtin University in 2005.
He was the author of thirty-five books: these include Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science; Leonardo: The First Scientist; Tolkien: A Biography; and C. S. Lewis: The Boy Who Chronicled Narnia. His first novel Equinox – thriller, an occult mystery reached the Top Ten in the bestseller list in the UK and has been translated into 35 languages. His non-fiction production included the biography Galileo: Antichrist. Novels following Equinox include The Medici Secret, The Borgia Ring and The Art of Murder.
White wrote under two further names, Tom West and Sam Fisher. He used the latter pseudonym to publish the E-Force trilogy, State of Emergency, Aftershock, and Nano.
A further novel by White, The Venetian Detective, features characters including Galileo and Elizabeth.
White wrote a biography of Isaac Newton, The Last Sorcerer. He was both short-listed and long-listed for the Aventis prize. Rivals was short-listed in 2002, and The Fruits of War long-listed in 2006. He was also nominated for the Ned Kelly Prize for First Novel (for Equinox in 2007).

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new take on Thomas Edison!

[AAO]

""His identity [as author] is unmistakable.""

[Bas Nabulsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book with low expectations, but as a compelling summary of the advance of science, I am very glad I picked it up.

[Bridget Petrella · Rating 5 out of 5]

When we consider the Herculean figures on the long road to reason and the contributions they have made to our modern worldview, it is only natural to wonder what drove them, what led them to discover. Indeed, it makes us question the very meaning of discovery itself. In so many ways scientists and the natural philosophers who preceded them have much in common with artists, musicians, writers— creators, forward thinkers and, often, rivals. Rivalry is a reflection of humanity and as human culture has changed, so too has the guise of rivalry. In simpler times, scientists pitted their wits to reveal nature and sometimes also to expose what they believe to be falsity in their competitors. As science became public property it was used by the governments who represented entire nations. Beyond the tales of personal bitterness of some scientific rivalry we must consider what comes from these battlefields. And it seems the overwhelming effect has been to propel science forward. Be it a priority race, nationalistic fervor, personal hatred, or any combination of these, competition has done much to advance our understanding of the universe.

Acid Tongues and Tranquil Dreamers covers a long history of scientific rivalry, and encompasses a diverse collection of disciplines and rivalries (personal, national, and industrial). Whatever form it takes and however it may be transmogrified, rivalry exists in every lab, in every corner of the world, and in every age. It has spurred great minds on to world-altering breakthroughs in science and technology; in Acid Tongues and Tranquil Dreamers, Michael White illuminates the bitterness and the beauty, the genius and the humanity behind eight such breakthroughs.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good interesting, intelligent history of scientific rivalry. I have always been a fan of Tesla, so the Edison v. Tesla story I felt was particularly interesting, but the Newton v. Liebniz was also very good. I learned a bit about the foundations of modern physics, chemistry and electronics, the way some of the great innovations have worked and the progress of scientific innovation/culture/methodology through the book. I felt the last story, Gates v. Ellison, was a bit difficult to tackle in this format. Writing a history of living figures and a quickly evolving modern industry is just going to be harder, and has the potential to quickly feel dated. I think that those factors definitely made me feel that the last story was the least interesting - though it made me interested in reading more thorough explorations of that time frame. Also, Steve Jobs and Macintosh & Apple aren't mentioned, which we can definitely see as an oversight at this point.

[Sutherland · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine survey major scientific break throughs, even if I didn't agree with the author's conclusions (private enterprise is going to be souly responsible for scientific advancement? Yeah, sure if you can sell a cell phone plan with it). The author did go a little easy on his former professor too. However the book does provide an easy to read comprehensive narrative on how science developed as it did and did a good job at humanizing the various personalities while also venerating them (Steampunk authors who wish to deify the brilliant and introverted Tesla would do well to give this book a read). It would make a good alternative to the regular war-and-politics way of teaching history in high school too.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael White is an excellent science writer, and in Acid Tongues and Tranquil Dreamers, he excels at his craft. The book is about great scientific rivalries and how they've changed the course of civilization. But Acid Tongues does much more than just cover scientific breakthroughs. He focuses on the individuals, and how their personalities, grudges and quirks influenced great discoveries. The space race, Gates & Ellison, Tesla and Eddison... it's all here.

NC

[Jim Firestone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I had read this book when it first came out. Reading it today the last third of the book felt anachronistic and a bit off key. Nevertheless I found the middle sections on Darwin, Tesla, the Manhattan Project and decoding DNA fun and fascinating to read. Newton and Leibniz was a weak opening and the most turgid of his prose. Get through that part and the rest is an easy and enlightening journey.

[Havala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed this book.
Interesting close-up of famous inventors and their patent-holders.
We find that Edison and Newton were a pricks, if I recall correctly.

Good book. I still would like to verify some information for myself as historians like to modify history, but I still find most of this completely plausible.
Easy read, even if it contains frustrating information.

[Frederick Bingham · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of some of the more famous scientific disputes and their legacies. Newton and Leibnitz. Priestley and Lavoisier. Edison and Tesla. Bill Gates and Larry Ellison.I found good quotes on pages 35, 49, 55, 61, 156,160.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome. Didn't really like the last chapter, but I loved the rest of the book. Learned some new things about some famous scientists. Learned some names that were never mentioned in school. I'd recommend this to all my friends, but probably none of them would pick it up.

[Cesar Bulek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um livro muito bom... mostra como esses cientistas eram, muitas vezes prima donas.. e como o impulso para competição fez com que grandes descobertas acontecessem.