Review of the hardback: 'De Chadarevian's historical account is recommended to all who are interested in the development of molecular biology.' Nature
Review of the hardback: 'The author combines painstaking scholarship with superb narrative skills, and a gift for explaining technical matters accessibly ... required reading for anyone interested in the politics, personalities and mechanics of science - from sixth formers to government ministers.' John Cornwell, The Sunday Times
Review of the hardback: 'This is a scholarly work ... but it is also very readable ... the book is a 'must' for academics teaching molecular biology, and for anyone with even a passing interest in the history of what perhaps will be the most pervasive science of the 21st century.' Microbiology Today
Review of the hardback: 'De Chadarevian meticulously traces the place of biophysics in the heady post-war expansion of British science ...[A] composite portrait of the ways a new science is shaped by local circumstance.' The Times Higher Education Supplement
Review of the hardback: '... the book provides a fresh perspective on well-trodden ground and should fuel the continuing controversy about how, where and why molecular biology first came into being.' BioEssays
Review of the hardback: 'De Chadarevian is to be congratulated on the fascinating wealth of information which she has assembled about this classic period in the development of biological science in Britain.' Endeavour
Review of the hardback: '... Designs for Life is a very useful addition to the history of molecular biology.' Ambix
"I enjoyed this book tremendously, and would highly recommend Design for Life to any reader with an interest in the history of the sciences." Laurette Geldenhuys, Dalhousie University, in The Canadian Bulletin of Medical History
"The book is thoroughly and professionally researched and a significant contribution to the history of molecular biology." Isis
"de Chadarevian's historical account is recommended to all who are interested in the development of molecular biology." Nature
"De Chadarevian offers a timely book, pertinent because of the recent 50th anniversary of the publication of Watson and Crick's description of DNA..... For all 'students' of molecular biology. Recommended." Choice
"Designs for Life makes a contribution both to the history of molecular biology and to the history of science and technology in postwar Britain" Bulletin of Science Technology and Society
"This is an excellent book....a well-written, extensively researched book that sheds new light on the evolution of molecular biology....a very significant contribution to the literature on the history of molecular biology." Journal of the History of Medicine
"With its many perspectives on the rise of molecular biology in Britain, Designs for Life will be appreciated by biologists, historians, and those involved with science policy. The book will surely interest anyone intrigued by the way science seems to follow its own internal logic while participating centrally in the society in which it is embedded." Science
"The juxtaposition of cultural analysis and institutional history is a refreshing change of perspective for the history of molecular biology." Rena Selya, Harvard University
