Dava Sobel, a former New York Times science reporter, is the author of Longitude (Walker 1995, Penguin 1996) and Galileo's Daughter (Walker 1999, Penguin 2000). In her thirty years as a science journalist she has written for many magazines, including Audubon, Discover, Life and The New Yorker, served as a contributing editor to Harvard Magazine and Omni, and co-authored six books, including Is Anyone Out There? with astronomer Frank Drake.
The National Science Board selected Ms. Sobel to receive its 2001 Individual Public Service Award "for fostering awareness of science and technology among broad segments of the general public." Also in 2001, the Boston Museum of Science gave Ms. Sobel its prestigious Bradford Washburn Award for her "outstanding contribution toward public understanding of science, appreciation of its fascination, and the vital role it plays in all our lives."
Longitude, now in its twenty-sixth hardcover printing, was translated into two dozen foreign languages and became a national and international bestseller, much to Ms. Sobel's surprise. It won several literary prizes, including the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and "Book of the Year" in England. Also in recognition of Longitude, Ms. Sobel was made a fellow of the American Geographical Society. Together with William J. H. Andrewes, who introduced her to the subject of longitude, Ms. Sobel co-authored The Illustrated Longitude (Walker 1998).
She based her book Galileo's Daughter on 124 surviving letters to Galileo from his eldest child. Ms. Sobel translated the letters from the original Italian and used them to elucidate Galileo’s life work. Galileo's Daughter won the 1999 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for science and technology, a 2000 Christopher Award, and was a finalist for the 2000 Pulitzer Prize in biography. The paperback edition enjoyed five consecutive weeks as the #1 New York Times nonfiction bestseller. A new book, Letters to Father, containing the full text of Galileo's daughter's correspondence in both English and Italian, was published by Walker in November 2001 and will appear as a Penguin paperback.
The PBS science program "NOVA" produced a television documentary called "Lost At Sea -- The Search for Longitude," which was based on Ms. Sobel's book. Granada Films of England created a dramatic version of the story, “Longitude”, starring Jeremy Irons and Michael Gambon, which aired on A&E as a four-hour made-for-TV movie. Similar documentary and dramatic treatments of Galileo's Daughter are now in production for "NOVA" and Granada/A&E.
Lecture engagements have taken Ms. Sobel to speak at The Smithsonian Institution, The Explorers' Club, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, The Folger Shakespeare Library, The New York Public Library, The Hayden Planetarium, and The Royal Geographical Society (London). She has been a frequent guest on National Public Radio programs, including "All Things Considered," "Fresh Air," "The Connection" with Christopher Lydon, and "The Diane Rheem Show." Her television appearances include C-SPAN's "Booknotes," "The Today Show" on NBC, and "ABC World News Tonight."
A 1964 graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, Ms. Sobel attended Antioch College and the City College of New York before receiving her bachelor of arts degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton. She lives with her husband and two children in East Hampton, New York, where she is currently at work on a new book about the planets of the Solar System.
Ms. Sobel is represented by:
Michael Carlisle of Carlisle & Company
24 East 64th Street
New York, NY. 10021
(212-813-1881)