8vo. Original blue cloth; dust jacket.

FIRST EDITION. Written by one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA, The Double Helix was a unique publication for its time in that it acts as both memoir and scientific tome. Originally set to be published by Harvard University Press (where Watson was teaching at the time), after objections were raised by co-discoverers Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins it was agreed that the book would be published by Atheneum instead. While today considered an invaluable first-person look at one of the most significant scientific discoveries of all time, it has also attracted controversy for its seeming dismissal of contributions by English chemist Rosalind Franklin, on whose research Watson, Crick, and Wilson are today widely acknowledged to have built upon. In 2012 it was named one of "88 Books Which Shaped America" by the Library of Congress. A FINE COPY.