Writing Gaia: The Scientific Correspondence of James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis

‘Indeed, Lovelock and Margulis found that they ‘had something to say’ together, a question they ask in 1971 in a letter! What they had to say changed my life and the lives of many people. Gaia is a polymorphous concept, hypothesis, planet, boundary object in conflict, and collaboration among scientists of different disciplines and persuasions, Earth systems’ conceptual foundation, popular passion, and much more. Gaia matters, and Lovelock and Margulis gave us this generative formulation of the living Earth as a complex dynamic, self-organizing system. This collection – with its sober, extensive, enticing scholarly apparatus – makes the hairs of my arms stand up with pleasure and excitement. Here the reader will find unadorned letters between two very different kinds of professional scientist over many years of a complex personal and intellectual relationship. I am deeply grateful to the scholarship and passion of Bruce Clarke and Sébastien Dutreuil for this book.’ Donna Haraway, University of California at Santa Cruz, author of Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene

‘Writing Gaia offers a fascinating window on the meeting of two great minds. This insightful set of correspondence and commentaries provides an unprecedented resource on the history of the Gaia concept.’ Michael R. Dietrich, University of Pittsburgh, USA

‘Writing Gaia is a revealing and surprisingly entertaining record of the long intellectual and personal relationship between two idiosyncratic scientific geniuses and rebels from whose cerebral symbiosis and complex friendship was born the Gaia hypothesis, which profoundly changed how we think about Earth and life. The collected letters of Lovelock and Margulis, along with accompanying essays by some of their key collaborators, have been skillfully assembled with insightful commentary by Clarke and Dutreuil.  The result is a riveting intellectual journey, spiced with gossip, intellectual feuds, and occasional moments of touching intimacy. This book will be required reading for students of Earth’s biosphere and of modern history of science.’ David Grinspoon, Astrobiologist and author of Earth in Human Hands

‘It is not hyperbole to say that microbiologist and cell biologist Lynn Margulis and atmospheric chemist James Lovelock were two giants of twentieth-century science. Margulis's serial endosymbiosis theory resolved the riddle of the origin of the eukaryotic cell, forever changing biology. Lovelock developed the Gaia hypothesis, a radically synthetic vision of life on Earth, in which Margulis became his chief collaborator. Published here for the first time, their correspondence provides a fascinating window into the lively interaction of two extraordinary minds and personalities, while also showing the evolution of the Gaia idea and its cultural and scientific reception. This is captivating reading, and I could not put it down!’ James Strick, Professor and Chair of Program in Science, Technology and Society, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, USA

'… a fascinating read that reproduces and contextualizes a four-decade-long conversation …' Paul Falkowski, Science

‘Writing Gaia charts the inside story of a long-running collaboration that gave birth to one of the most influential environmental ideas in the modern world … fascinating reading.’ Adam Vaughan, New Scientist

‘Enlightening’ Nature

‘Primarily for students, professionals, and academics in the history of science, philosophy, and policy, this book is also relevant for the same audiences working in the Earth and life sciences. The text is compelling, easily encouraging the reader to delve further into the thoughts of these outstanding scientists. … Highly recommended.’ N. W. Hinman, Choice

It is good to have the letters readily available. … Anyone interested in Gaia will want to have a copy of this volume.' Michael Ruse, The Quarterly Review Of Biology

‘… an outstanding example of scientific correspondence, combining a first-hand account of the growth and development of a major scientific theory with the personal observations and circumstances of the individuals who made it a large part of their lives’ work. It should be of particular interest to those studying and teaching in the history of science, environmentalism, climate change, and ecological issues.’ Jennifer Bartlett, Reference and User Services Association - American Library Association