{"product_id":"f-e-simon-the-neglect-of-science-1951-presentation-copy-to-lord-portal","title":"F. E. Simon - The Neglect of Science, 1951, Presentation Copy to Lord Portal","description":"\u003cp data-end=\"249\" data-start=\"112\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSIMON (Sir Francis Eugene). \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"216\" data-start=\"162\"\u003eThe Neglect of Science: Essays Addressed to Laymen \u003c\/strong\u003eOxford: Basil Blackwell, 1951.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"368\" data-start=\"251\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-end=\"368\" data-start=\"251\"\u003eFirst edition, first impression. Presentation copy from the author to Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Portal.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"619\" data-start=\"370\"\u003eOctavo. Original red cloth, gilt-lettered spine, in the original printed dust jacket priced 8\/6 net. vi, 138 pp. With the publisher’s loosely inserted order form advertising \u003cem data-end=\"572\" data-start=\"544\"\u003eThe Physical Basis of Mind\u003c\/em\u003e and Fred Hoyle’s \u003cem data-end=\"618\" data-start=\"590\"\u003eThe Nature of the Universe\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1349\" data-start=\"621\"\u003eA superb presentation copy of Simon’s timely post-war argument for scientific literacy, inscribed on the front free endpaper: \u003cstrong data-end=\"790\" data-start=\"747\"\u003e“To Lord Portal with compliments! FES.”\u003c\/strong\u003e F. E. Simon, later Sir Francis Simon, was one of Britain’s leading physicists, a Fellow of the Royal Society and an important figure in low-temperature physics and wartime atomic research, particularly work connected with uranium isotope separation. The recipient, Lord Portal, gives this copy exceptional resonance. After serving as Chief of the Air Staff during the Second World War, Portal became Controller of Production, Atomic Energy, at the Ministry of Supply from 1946 to 1951, placing him at the centre of Britain’s early post-war nuclear programme.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1788\" data-start=\"1351\"\u003eThe author-recipient link is therefore unusually direct: this is a book about the national importance of science, presented by a major atomic scientist to one of the senior administrators of British atomic energy policy. Published in 1951, at the point where wartime science, nuclear power, public education and national recovery were all pressing public questions, Simon’s essays speak directly to the world Portal was helping to shape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2211\" data-start=\"1790\"\u003eCondition excellent. The red cloth remains notably bright and fresh, the gilt clear, the binding firm and square, and the contents clean. The dust jacket is very well preserved, with light toning, dust-soiling and minor edge wear, but no serious loss. The survival of the jacket and inserted publisher’s order form adds considerably to the appeal. A highly desirable presentation copy, with exceptional Portal provenance. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sir Francis [Franz] Simon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53085814587659,"sku":null,"price":600.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0794\/7848\/9355\/files\/20260501_141953402_iOS.jpg?v=1777650532","url":"https:\/\/www.archbooks.co.uk\/products\/f-e-simon-the-neglect-of-science-1951-presentation-copy-to-lord-portal","provider":"Arch Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}