Tag: Sam Kean

The Icepick Surgeon

The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science by Sam Kean (Little, Brown and Company, 2021); audiobook read by Ben Sullivan (Audible Audio, 2021) Kean’s deep-delves into history are well researched yet perfectly accessible. As the subtitle suggests, this is more a collection of case studies than a comprehensive analysis of…

Caesar’s Last Breath

Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Kean; audiobook read by Ben Sullivan (Hachette Audio, 2017) Kean not only makes science accessible but also proves an able guide through history more generally, grounding his subject matter in human interest (and absurdity). The story of gasses—and how they have shaped human development—is genuinely fascinating. Audiobook…