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DAVA SOBEL

NYS Writers Institute: November 16, 2005
4:15 p.m. Seminar | Assembly Hall, Campus Center
8:15 p.m. Reading | (Introduction by William Hedberg)
Recital Hall, PAC UAlbany Uptown Campus

Dava Sobel, bestselling science writer, is renowned for her ability to present arcane subjects in riveting and readable prose. Her latest book is The Planets (2005), a lavishly illustrated history of the individual members of our "solar family" as they have been explained by science, mythology, visual art, and popular culture throughout the ages. The book combines lyrical prose, and beautiful examples of human art, poetry, and storytelling, with Sobel's singular talent for explaining both the history of science and modern-day scientific discoveries.

"This resonant and eclectic collection--informative, entertaining and poetic--is a joy to read." - Publishers Weekly

Sobel's 1995 surprise bestseller, Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time, tells the tale of John Harrison, a self-educated 18th century English clockmaker and his quest to develop a reliable instrument for ocean navigation.

"A simple tale, brilliantly told." - Washington Post

"Only someone with Dava Sobel's unusual background in both astronomy and psychology could have written it…. a wonderful story, wonderfully told." - writer Diane Ackerman

Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love (1999), was a number one New York Times nonfiction bestseller, and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Award. The book presents the correspondence and fascinating relationship between Renaissance astronomer Galileo and his illegitimate daughter, Virginia, a Franciscan nun.

"Sobel is a master storyteller…. What she has done, with her choice of excerpts and her strong sense of history, is bring a great scientist to life." - New York Times

"[Sobel transforms] what could have been a dusty academic subject into a rich, gripping page-turner." - Entertainment Weekly

Galileo's Daughter was named one of the best books of the year by the American Library Association, Esquire, and Entertainment Weekly, and was a New York Times Notable Book.

In 2001 Sobel received both the National Science Board's Public Service Award and the Bradford Washburn Award from the Museum of Science in Boston. She is an award-winning former science reporter for the New York Times, and a contributor to numerous magazines including the New Yorker, Discover, and Audubon.

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For additional information, contact the Writers Institute at 518-442-5620 or online at https://www.albany.edu/writers-inst.