" . . . scholarship of the highest order. . . . Kendall Bailes's book is destined to become a most valuable contribution to our knowledge of Russian and Soviet culture. It is insightful and eloquent." —Douglas R. Weiner

" . . . an insightful, richly researched portrait of Vernadsky's life and times . . . " —American Scientist

"This biography . . . not only tells a story full of human drama but also one rich with insights into Russia's higher-education and scientific-research establishments." —Washington Post Book World

"[This] concise book, with references that stop short of the Gorbachev era, will be the foundation for all future scholarship in English on Vernadsky." —Nature

"In this insightful exploration of Vernadsky's legacy, Kendall Bailes unveils a creative scholar-activist whose life and work speak more clearly about his time than our own." —Science

"The Bailes book . . . is fascinating . . . Read it!" —World Affairs Report

"Kendall Bailes has left us with a vivid portrayal of the life and times of Vladimir Vernadsky." —The Russian Review

"It offers a penetrating analysis of social realities in twentieth-century Russia, which helped create an intellectual culture dominated by ideological extremes." —American Historical Review

This first full-length English-language biography of Vladimir Vernadsky (1863–1945), one of the leading Russian intellectual figures of the twentieth century, focuses on the interaction between science and politics during Russia's revolutionary age.