Curie

Voted ‘Outstanding Academic Title’ by CHOICE

‘Most people have heard about Marie Curie and have some vague idea about her life. This book fleshes out and corrects such vague ideas. It is written in an easily accessible style, touching on the Physics without turning it into a Physics book, but also providing substantial background to her life and achievements. Such a remarkable woman deserves an accurate portrayal of her extraordinary life as a scientist, working in a world still highly inimical to women in the professional sphere. This book shows how she battled against the odds, against grief and hostility, to achieve so much.’
Prof Dame Athene Donald

‘In her wonderfully evocative biography, Sarah Dry searches out the private woman concealed behind the public persona of the world’s most famous female scientist. This deceptively slim volume not only surveys Marie Curie’s scientific achievements in a lively, accessible style, but also examines diaries and letters to reveal her inner life and strong emotional ties to family, friends and country. Like many human beings, this international celebrity enjoyed episodes of intense joy as well as enduring dark periods of pain and isolation. Dry’s informative biography is a compelling read.’
Dr Patricia Fara

‘A brisk but inviting text that invites the reader into the cultural context in which the Curies lived … scholarly scrupulousness combined with a graceful style.’
American Library Association

REVISED AND UPDATED EDITION

Marie Curie’s drive and intellect led her to remarkable scientific success. She became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and remains the only person ever to win Nobel Prizes in two scientific disciplines. Curie is most famous for her pioneering work in the field of radioactivity and for discovering two new elements, polonium and radium. However, Curie not only broke scientific barriers but defied the gender expectations of her time, excelling within male-dominated scientific communities.

This striking biography reframes our understanding of Curie, rejecting the iconic image of her as a solitary, saint-like figure. It recasts her as a dynamic and engaged person, simultaneously a scientist, mother, wife, and advocate for the benefits of radioactivity for research and medical treatment. Sarah Dry illuminates Curie’s personal and professional struggles: the demands of motherhood, the grief she suffered after the loss of her husband, the public scrutiny she faced, and the damaging effects of her exposure to radiation. The Curie that emerges is a remarkably resilient figure whose fortitude and scientific accomplishments make her an enduring source of inspiration.

Sarah Dry is a writer and historian of science. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she studied at Harvard University, Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge. She is the author of The Newton Papers: The Strange and True Odyssey of Isaac Newton’s Private Manuscripts (2014) and Waters of the World: The Story of the Scientists Who Unraveled the Mysteries of Our Oceans, Atmospheres and Ice Sheets—and Made the Planet Whole (2019). She is currently a trustee of The Oxford Trust.