In this easy-to-read series, eminent science writers John and Mary Gribbin look at the lives and work of eight major scientists. Each book is accessible enough to be read for fun but informative enough to appeal to students of science. The iconic Albert Einstein emerges as a dashing ladies' man and the greatest scientist of his time; but why did Charles Darwin wait for decades before going public with his ideas on evolution? How was Marie Curie's great work shaped by her childhood experiences of oppression under the Czars? And what was Edmond Halley, of comet fame, doing as Captain of a King's Ship and later spy for the Crown? An introduction and afterword places each scientist's work in the context of the development of their subject.