Abstract
Writing a book about science cannot be easy, particularly specialized science such as basic pharmacology research and drug discovery. Those matters that the informed scientist finds interesting and exciting are sometimes difficult to explain clearly and simply to the lay reader, while time spent explaining the science in simple terms to the lay reader is likely to frustrate the specialist. One writer who managed this difficult balancing act with great success was the professional science writer Robert Kanigel in his fascinating book Apprentice to Genius (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993). The book was about the remarkable group of scientists working with Bernard B. Brodie at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the 1950s and in it he not only managed to review the people and their interpersonal dynamics, but also to explain their scientific exploits in a way that was not only intelligible to the non-expert but also avoided offending the expert by oversimplifying matters.