Electrical wizard, pioneer researcher of the atom, Nobel Prize winner for his studies in surface chemistry, the first man to attack the problem of controlling the weather, Irving Langmuir combined unquenchable curiosity with amazing creative vitality. From boyhood, he was fascinated by the unknown. The son of Americans living in Europe, he was climbing the Swiss Alps alone at an early age and making scientific observations. His education in the United States increased his interest in science and, after college, he won a place in the famous General Electric research laboratories.

The atmosphere of the GE lab was ideally suited to Langmuir's temperament. Here a scientist could conduct experiments without a thought to their commercial value. Time soon proved this "impractical" approach the most practical ever devised. Not only did Langmuir's work advance scientific knowledge in a host of varied areas, it also produced countless major breakthroughs in electronic technology, as well as vital contributions to national defense in two World Wars.

Irving Langmuir was a man who refused to divide the realm of science into a narrow categories or to limit its outer boundaries. He looked upon his greatest discoveries as "accidents" in an unending quest for truth. He was not only a scientific genius, but also a warm, many-sided human being who shared his full and active life with family and friends.

From the dust jacket