First printing of The Double Helix signed twice by Watson

FIRST EDITION of The Double Helix, preceding the publication in book form in late February 1968. Signed by James Watson on the front cover of each issue.

“The 1968 publication of James Watson’s two-part thriller, The Double Helix, in The Atlantic Monthly left both the scientific and literary worlds atwitter” (Fausto-Sterling, ‘Gender and Science in the DNA Story,’ Science November 8, 2002).

The Double Helix is one of the most famous science books of the 20th century. The Modern Library placed it at number 7 in its list of the best nonfiction books of the century, the New York Public Library included it in its 1996 Books of the Century exhibition, and the Library of Congress named The Double Helix one of the eighty-eight Books That Shaped America.

$4,800