快猫短视频

The Holland Sisters by Eugene Rocchow and Eduard Krah茅,
Springer-Verlag, 拢22, ISBN 3540416048

HERE鈥橲 a worthy book, written from worthy motives. But are worthy motives
enough? The authors of The Holland Sisters are both professors, anxious
to give credit where it is due. The sisters were all married to important
scientists, William Perkin, the discoverer of aniline dyes, Frederic Kipping,
pioneer of silicon research and development, and Arthur Lapworth, whose work
opened up the science of organic electronics.

Though awards and honours were heaped on the husbands, the two professors
were outraged that the women, who 鈥渒ept their three husbands in close and
harmonious collaboration throughout their lives鈥� got none, not even one
obituary. They decided to collaborate on this tribute to them. They call it a
novel. It is not. It is an awkward mixture of biography, fiction and potted
history. They had a difficult time gathering enough facts about the women until
they found a grandson of Kipping鈥檚 who gave them lots of information. Even so,
there were many gaps that had to be filled from imagination.

Unfortunately, worthy motives are not enough for success. The professors are
not good writers and, for instance, convincing dialogue is beyond them. Two
sisters talk together. One says, 鈥淗e looks on the silicone compound as an exact
analogue of a ketone, hence the name 鈥榮ilicone鈥� he has given to this new type of
compound.鈥� The other replies in a similar vein. The sisters and the other
characters were real. But in the book they are unbelievable.