The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James D. Watson

The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA is an autobiographical account of the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA written by James D. Watson and published in 1968. It was and remains a controversial account. Though it was originally slated to be published by Harvard University Press, Watson's home university dropped the arrangement after protestations from Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins[citation needed], co-discoverers of the structure of DNA, and it was published privately. It has been criticized as being excessively sexist towards Rosalind Franklin, another participant in the discovery, who was deceased by the time Watson's book was written. In 1998, the Modern Library placed The Double Helix at number 7 on its list of the 20th century's best works of non-fiction.

The 15th greatest nonfiction book of all time


This book is on the following lists:

  1. - 7th on The Modern Library | 100 Best Nonfiction (The Modern Library)
  2. - 33rd on The 100 Best Non-Fiction Books of the Century (National Review)
  3. - The 75 Best Books of the Past 75 Years (Parade Magazine)
  4. - 100 Most Influential Books of the Century (Boston Public Library)
  5. - 100 Major Works of Modern Creative Nonfiction (About.com)
  6. - Select 100 (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
  7. - The 100 Best Nonfiction Books of All Time (The Guardian)
  8. - 50 Memorable Books from 50 Years of Books to Remember (The New York Public Library)
  9. - The New York Public Library's Books of the Century (New York Public Library)
  10. - The 50 Best Books of the Century (Intercollegiate Studies Institute)

Buy This Book

Name Binding Sales Rank Lowest New Lowest Used Published
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA Kindle Edition 102909 $10.34 2011
Double Helix (Scribner Classics) Hardcover 119670 $13.90 $0.01 1998
Double Helix (Mentor) Mass Market Paperback 428736 $8.24 $0.01 1969
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA Audio CD 3765405 $10.03 $12.44 2012
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA (First Edition) (Norton Critical Editions), Book Cover May Vary Paperback 655960 $21.25 $1.25 1980
THE DOUBLE HELIX: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA Mass Market Paperback 2440199 $29.95 $2.71
The Double Helix Mass Market Paperback 7313580 $198.40 $0.81 1969
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA Audio CD 5056846 $33.20 2012
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA (Norton Critical Edit Hardcover 249036 $15.45 $3.45 1981
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA (Norton Critical Editions) 1st (first) edition Paperback 3320282 $13.71 $4.95 1979
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA (Norton Critical Editions) [Paperback] [1980] 1st Ed. James D. Watson, Gunther S. Stent Paperback 5125331 $15.08 $13.53 1979
The Double Helix Hardcover 2330863 $499.96 $2.00
The Double Helix: Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA (Penguin Readers (Graded Readers)) Paperback 9535502 $54.90 2002
La doble helice / The Double Helix: Relato Personal Del Descubrimiento De La Estructura Del ADN / A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA (Ciencias / Sciences) (Spanish Edition) Paperback 2288997 $13.33 $14.93 2010
Double Helix: Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA Hardcover 849632 $107.22 $0.99
The Double Helix Mass Market Paperback 1503296 $2.57
Penguin Readers Level 6: the Double Helix (Penguin Readers) (Penguin Joint Venture Readers) Paperback 12874515 $89.76 $24.54 2001
The Double Helix : Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA Paperback 2904674 $52.76 $2.34 1998
The Double Helix: Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA Hardcover 3117485 $1.50
La doble helice/ The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA (Ciencia/ Science) (Spanish Edition) Paperback 5134325 $350.00 $417.04 2009
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA. A New Critical Edition including Text, Commentary, Reviews, Original Papers. Edited by Gunther S. Stent. Paperback 3938786 $18.67 $4.68 2000
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA Paperback 27531 $6.30 $2.76 2001
The Double Helix : A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA Mass Market Paperback 4021732 $5.00