Cover of The Double Helix Open Library Covers

The Double Helix

by James Watson · 1968

James Watson's memoir of the race to understand the structure of DNA.

Recommended by 2 people · mentioned by 1 person

Why this author is included

James Watson · Nobel molecular biologist

Who recommends it

2 people have recommended The Double Helix. Each entry links to the source.

Jennifer Doudna photographed by Jussi Puikkonen in 2016 Jennifer DoudnaBiochemist

Jennifer Doudna names The Double Helix as an influential book that made her think about becoming a scientist.

Recommended · Wording not verified Source: Berkeley News
Evidence details Jennifer Doudna and Siddartha Mukherjee conversation transcript

Personal formative reading. Source date is transcript publication, not recording. McPhee retailer paperback is June1982, later than original1976; no edition-specific endorsement inferred. Unnamed biography excluded. Catalog summary, no excerpt copied.

This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.

Berkeley News · 2018-01-18 · accessed 2026-10-01

Interview · Own influential-books answer

Her own positive reading answer, separate from the other speaker.

Jennifer Doudna describes The Double Helix as a revelation about how science gets done.

Recommended · Wording not verified Source: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Oral History
Evidence details Influence of Jim Watson’s The Double Helix

Own positive childhood reading account, while also noting the treatment of Rosalind Franklin. No endorsement of every viewpoint in the memoir inferred. Date is explicitly recorded interview date. Catalog summary, no excerpt copied.

This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Oral History · 2023-08-17 · accessed 2026-10-01

Interview · Own formative reading account

Original transcript explicitly labels Recorded:17Aug2023 and identifies the book, author and her positive reading response.

Also mentioned by

These people mentioned or cited The Double Helix without directly recommending it.

Portrait unavailable for Venki Ramakrishnan Venki RamakrishnanStructural biologist; 2009 Nobel chemistry laureate

Ramakrishnan describes this book as a formative influence on his scientific interests and memoir writing.

Mentioned · Wording not verified Source: The Wire / IISc Connect
Evidence details Interview: Venki Ramakrishnan and the Race to Decode the Mother of All Molecules

Influential reading discussed in his own interview; contextual praise is kept separate from the direct reading selection.

This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.

The Wire / IISc Connect · 2019-01-27 · accessed 2026-10-01

Interview · Own formative reading

Joint original interview; IISc and The Wire copies are one event. A distinct earlier personal reading selection is separately documented.

About the author

What the author has done, shown separately from who recommends the book.

James WatsonNobel molecular biologist

Molecular biologist and author of The Double Helix.