The Library of Maurice Wilkins: Part 2

In this second instalment regarding the personal library of Maurice Wilkins, I have selected a number of books from the collection and added contextual information.

Hiroshima Diary by Michihiko Hackiya, 1955: An eyewitness account by a Japanese doctor about the impact of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in 1945. Maurice Wilkins was a verment anti-nuclear campaigner and it is unsurprising to find this in his library. He campaigned for Pugwash, SANA and CND throughout his life, visited Japan in 1982 and carried out a series of talks on nuclear disarmament (see below)

Life Itself: Its origin and nature by Francis Crick, 1982: In this book, Crick postulates that life began outside the solar system and uses evidence accumulated from his career in molecular biology to support his view. They met in 1948 and remained in contact for the rest of their lives. Below is an image of a postcard Crick sent Wilkins whilst on his honeymoon.

The Atomic Spies by H Montgomery Hyde, 1981: This book focuses on the British-based spies who provided the USSR with information relevant for the construction of an atomic bomb. Wilkins had links with two of the convicted men. He knew Klaus Fuchs at Birmingham University, and was friendly with the family of Allan Nunn May. He did not however know that he himself was also investigated by MI5 as a potential atomic spy from 1951-1954 (see previous blog post for more information: http://dnaandsocialresponsibility.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/maurice-wilkins-accused-of-spying-by.html).

Below, is an image of Maurice Wilkins, at a student anti-war protest in the 1930s.

Fallacy of Star Wars by Union of Concerned Scientists, 1982: This publication from 1984 provides an argument for opposing the development of a 'total ballistic missile defence' by the US Reagan administration. This issue was one that Maurice Wilkins campaigned against in the 1980’s along with the British government's procurement of Trident Missiles. The two issues are related to Wilkins' anti-nuclear campaigning and his role as president of Food and Disarmament International (FDI). Below is a photograph of Wilkins' campaigning against the deployment of cruise missiles in the United Kingdom in December 1982. 

Medicine's 10 greatest discoveries by Meyer Friedman and G. W. Friedland: This book features a chapter entitled "Maurice Wilkins and DNA". Friedman corresponded frequently with Wilkins over the chapter and the made the bold move to focus on his involvement in the discovery. However, this didn't deter Wilkins from making numerous corrections in his copy of the finished book. The 'red pen' corrections and comments of Wilkins are a familiar feature of his papers and are often beneficial in providing context to scientific notes which would have proved difficult otherwise. Below is an example of Wilkins' own personal research on the history of the double helix, charting the physical methods used to establish a molecular structure.