Under The Microscope

THE DICTIONARY OF NEW ZEALAND BIOGRAPHY -- VOLUME THREE, ed. Dr Claudia Orange; Auckland University Press, Bridget Williams Books and Dept of Internal Affairs, 1996; 649 pages; $130.00

Here's Volume 3 of the massive project that has brought together scholars from all over the country to write about the many and varied individuals who have played a part in shaping modern New Zealand.

It's gratifying to see a "Science" section in one of the categories under which names are indexed, and to find over 40 names (though just one woman) listed here. Some of the scientists therein have achieved immortality of a sort in the form of lectures, awards or facilities named after them (such as Cockayne); most have been, until now, familiar only to those in the specialised fields involved.

The project editors have done well to make use of the knowledge and interests of the current generation of scientists in those who have gone before -- thus John Campbell's affection for Ernest (aka Earnest, aka Ern) Rutherford shines through in the five columns devoted to this, our most celebrated scientist.

This tome is a tad large for the night-time bedside dresser, but it does invite dipping, even if only to see if one's forebears are represented within. It would be nice to see the categories released eventually as stand-alone texts for those wanting to cover the whole range of the biographies involved from 1769 to the present day -- given the massive amount of work involved in producing the individual volumes, it may take some time.

Vicki Hyde, NZSM