With a Little Luck: Surprising Stories of Amazing Discoveries (review)

Although serendipity is the implied focus of this collection, Fradin is quick to admit that most of the inventors and discoverers herein owed their success as much to diligence and sharp observation as to Lady Luck. So, leaving fortune aside, readers are left with a dozen well-told tales, many of which can be readily found in other sources, but not always recounted with equal flair. Isaac Newton, Mary Anning, Charles Goodyear, and Alexander Fleming should be recognizable names, but they share the limelight here with Ignaz Semmelweis (promoted cleanliness for hospital workers), Maria Sanz de Sautuola (discovered cave paintings at Altamira), Clyde Tombaugh (confirmed the existence of Pluto), Lisa Meitner (performed seminal work in nuclear fission), Muhammad Ahmed el-Hamed (uncovered the Dead Sea Scrolls), Jocelyn Bell (discovered pulsars), and Alex Wolszczan (found the first known planets outside our solar system). Fradin is particularly adept at discussing controversies over bragging rights in various discoveries, and three of the profiles benefit from his personal contact with the subjects. Black-and-white illustrations are included, as well as source notes for each chapter.