Authors that wrote carl sagans biography

By Fred Bortz
Special to The Denver Post

CARL SAGAN A Life
By Keay Davidson
Wiley, $30

Oct. 3 - He's a nut!''

I smiled as the airport security guard, riffling through the pages of my review copy of Keay Davidson's new biography, "Carl Sagan: A Life,'' passed swift judgment on Sagan. If he expected to find something explosive or illegal between the pages of the book, he was disappointed. Had he taken the time to read those pages, however, he would have taken notice.

The Davidson book and another soon-to-be-released Sagan biography, "Carl Sagan: A Life in the Cosmos,'' by William Poundstone, are certain to ignite a new round of controversy about Sagan, who died in December , comparable in intensity to the contention that swirled about him during his year lifetime.

That an airport säkerhet guard in Pittsburgh would recognize the face and name of a deceased astronomy professor from an Ivy League university speaks volumes about the market for these biograph

•

Carl Sagan

American scientist and science communicator (–)

For other uses, see Carl Sagan (disambiguation).

Carl Sagan
Sagan in
Born	Carl Edward Sagan ()November 9, New York City, U.S.
Died	December 20, () (aged&#;62) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Resting place	Lake View Cemetery
Education	University of Chicago (BA, BS, MS, PhD)
Known&#;for
Spouses	Lynn Margulis &#; &#; (m.&#;; div.&#;)&#; Linda Salzman &#; &#; (m.&#;; div.&#;)&#; Ann Druyan &#; (m.&#;)&#;
Children	5, including Dorion, Nick, and Sasha
Awards
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
Thesis	Physical studies of planets&#;()
Doctoral advisor	Gerard Kuiper
Doctoral students

Carl Edward Sagan (; SAY-gən; November 9, &#;&#; December 20, ) was an American astronomer, planetary forskare and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is his research on

•

American Scientist

This Article From Issue

January-February

Volume 88, Number 1

Carl Sagan: A Life. Keay Davidson. pp. John Wiley and Sons, $

Carl Sagan: A Life in the Cosmos. William Poundstone. pp. Henry Holt, $

---

Carl Sagan had an enormous impact on planetary science and science popularization. His successes and excesses will likely be debated for many years. Three years after Sagan's untimely death from cancer, we have two fine biographies to remind us of his achievements.

Both books contain the full sweep of Sagan's impact as a scientist and popularizer; the differences between them are in style and emphasis. William Poundstone's Carl Sagan: A Life in the Cosmos is stronger on the central scientific issues in Sagan’s career. For example, Poundstone gives an excellent description of the debates where Sagan stood at center stage: the evidence of life elsewhere in the solar system and the effects of nuclear war on global climate. Keay Davidson's Carl Sagan: