Books by Felice Frankel
No Small Matter:
Science on the Nanoscale
(Harvard University Press, 2009) Felice Frankel and G. M. Whitesides
A small revolution is remaking the world. The only problem is, we can’t see it. This book uses dazzling images and evocative descriptions to reveal the virtually invisible realities and possibilities of nanoscience. An introduction to the science and technology of small things, No Small Matter explains science on the nanoscale.
Authors Felice C. Frankel and George M. Whitesides offer an overview of recent scientific advances that have given us our ever-shrinking microtechnology—for instance, an information processor connected by wires only 1,000 atoms wide. They describe the new methods used to study nanostructures, suggest ways of understanding their often bizarre behavior, and outline their uses in technology. This book explains the various means of making nanostructures and speculates about their importance for critical developments in information processing, computation, biomedicine, and other areas.
No Small Matter considers both the benefits and the risks of nano/microtechnology—from the potential of quantum computers and single-molecule genomic sequencers to the concerns about self-replicating nanosystems. By making the practical and probable realities of nanoscience as comprehensible and clear as possible, the book provides a unique vision of work at the very boundaries of modern science.
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On the Surface of Things, Images of the Extraordinary in Science
(Harvard University Press, 2008) Felice Frankel and G. M. Whitesides
Using innovative photographic technology, Felice finds startling abstract beauty on the surfaces of objects all around us. Chemist George M. Whitesides explains each photograph, describing why and how each of these phenomena occur.
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Envisioning Science
The Design and Craft of the Science Image
(The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2002) Felice Frankel
Science and engineering research must be communicated within the research community and to the general public, and a crucial element of that communication is visual. In Envisioning Science, science photographer Felice Frankel provides a guide to creating dynamic and compelling photographs for journal submissions and scientific presentations to funding agencies, investors, and the general public. The book is organized from the large to small—from photographing laboratory equipment to capturing new material and biological structures at the microscopic level. Full-color illustrations including many side-by-side comparisons provide an extensive gallery of fine science photography.
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Modern Landscape Architecture, Redefining the Garden
(Abbeville Press, 1991) Felice Frankel and Jory Johnson
Praise for No Small Matter:
“It is hard to grasp what we cannot see, even harder when not even a microscope can see it. With unmatched clarity and arresting elegance, Frankel and Whitesides have designed a narrative and visual voyage into the nanouniverse, revealing its basic constructs without sacrificing its magic.”
--Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of Architecture and Design, MOMA
“Holy cow! It’s exceptionally rare that science is rendered in such lucid, thoughtful, charming fashion. I’ve never encountered a beautiful book as important as this one, or vice-versa. ‘Awesome’ is an overused word, but No Small Matter is exactly, totally, gratifyingly that.”
—Kurt Andersen, author of Reset and Heyday, host of public radio’s Studio 360
“Frankel and Whitesides are masters at the art of envisioning the invisible. In this beautiful and beautifully written book, they open our minds and eyes to the thrillingly enigmatic world that we inhabit, embody, and create.”
—Harold McGee, author of
On Food and Cooking
Praise for On the Surface of Things:
“What's remarkable, especially since they haven't watered down the science, is how accessible the book is. . . .We tend to think of surfaces as superficial, but for scientists surfaces are where things happen. Frankel shows us how beautiful those surfaces can be; Whitesides, how revelatory.”
– Newsweek
“Stunning” – The New Yorker
“...one of the year's more intriguing concepts for an art book (or is it a science book?) It's a rare yin and yang concoction that satisfies both sides of the brain.”
– Wired
Praise for Envisioning Science:
“In the beginning were the image and the eye. Then man-the-scientist became enamored of the word and neglectful of the image. Now the small group of those who fight back welcomes Felice Frankel as a marvelous addition, both as skillful performer and as experienced and patient teacher. Her book is priceless.”
– Benoit B. Mandelbrot, Sterling Professor of Mathematical Sciences, Yale University
“Most people think of science as abstract and numerical. In fact, science is a surprisingly visual endeavor: both data and theory are often driven by pictures and images. Felice Frankel's work conveys the tremendous beauty and excitement of science—letting the layperson share in the wonder of studying the natural world.”
– Eric S. Lander, founding director of the Broad Institute and co-chair the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
“There's no way to describe this book other than as a true teacher's gift - a master photographer of the art of science teaches her craft, with patience, graphic detail, and feeling to all of us who need to visualize and represent this world.”
– Roald Hoffmann, Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters, Cornell University, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (1981)
Felice C. Frankel has received awards and grants for her scientific photography from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Photographic Society of America, the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, the Loeb Fellowship, and the Lennart Nilsson Foundation, among others. She holds concurrent positions at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Learn more.
