The Nobel prize : a history of genius, controversy, and prestige

Discusses The Nobel Institution In Detail, Telling About The Award And Its Beginnings, What It Means To Win A Nobel Prize, The Fields In Which It Is Presented, Who Judges And How The Prize Is Awarded, And More. Founded One Hundred Years Ago By The Inventor Of Dynamite, The Nobel Prize Is The World's Most Celebrated And Controversial Honor. It Grants Its Winners Instant Celebrity And Acclaim For Service To Mankind, Despite Accusations That It Is Too Trendy, Arbitrary, And Narrow-minded. In Examining Both Its Fame And Notoriety, Burton Feldman Opens Up The Nobel Institution And Process: How It Originated, How It Works, And How It Is Influenced By Outside Pressures (political, Moral, Personal And Academic). The Nobel Prize Is An Extraordinary Work That Never Fails To Surprise, Provoke, And Entertain. -- Amazon.com The Founding Father -- Nobel Prize Invents Itself -- The Nobel Prize In Literature -- The Nobel Prize And The Sciences -- The Nobel Prize In Physics -- The Nobel Prize In Chemistry -- The Nobel Prize In Physiology Or Medicine -- The Peace Prize -- The Economics Memorial Prize -- Conclusion -- Chronology Of Prizes -- Appendix A: Value Of Prizes -- Appendix B: Prizes By Nation -- Appendix C: Women Laureates -- Appendix D: Family Laureates -- Appendix E: Jewish Laureates. Burton Feldman. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [449]-469) And Index. "Founded by the brilliant, misanthropic inventor of dynamite, the Nobel Prize has for a hundred years claimed to identify the summit of human achievement. But what exactly is the Nobel Institution? How does it choose its winners? Has it ever made a mistake? An why does the prize hold such importance?". "The Nobel Prize considers these questions while taking us on a tour of every aspect of Alfred Nobel's grand legacy: its founder, its aura, its fields of award - literature, physics, chemistry, medicine, peace, and economics - and its laureates' personalities and rivalries, as well as its biases, controversies, and blunders."--BOOK JACKET. A lively history of the world's most prestigious award traces the history of the Nobel Prize, explaining how it originated, how it works, and how it is influenced by outside pressures and discussing the six fields in which it is awarded--literature, physics, chemistry, medicine, peace, and economics--and its laureates. Reprint. 10,000 first printing.