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Papers of M H F Wilkins: drafts of James Watsons book, Honest Jim, subsequently published as 'The double helix'

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Correspondence relating to James Watson’s book, <i>The double helix: a personal account of the discovery of the structure of DNA</i> (Weidenfeld & Nicholson, London, 1968), initially provisionally entitled ‘Honest Jim’, including: copy letter from Wilkins to Watson, 18 Feb 1966, suggesting that any account should incorporate many different individual viewpoints; suggestion from Watson to Wilkins, 2 Mar 1966, that it might provide Wilkins and Crick to write their own accounts; a request from Watson, 22 Jun 1966, for a meeting; Watson’s acknowledgement of receipt of Wilkins’ comments, 9 Aug 1966; Watson’s promise of a revised draft, now provisionally entitled ‘Base pairs’, with a promise of further amendments if required, 22 Sep 1966; Wilkins to Watson, 6 Oct 1966, detailing his objections; copy letter from Gordon Ray, President, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, New York, USA, to James Watson, 6 Oct 1966, commenting enthusiastically on the draft book; copy letter from Francis Crick to Watson, 10 Oct 1966, detailing Crick’s objections, with enclosed copy letter from Crick to Thomas Wilson, Harvard University Press, withholding his consent to publication; Watson to Wilkins, 19 Oct 1966, with reference to Watson’s account of Rosalind Franklin, and enclosed copy letter from Watson to Crick, denying any intention to defame Crick; notes by Wilkins on disputed points in Watson’s draft text, 2 Feb 1967; Watson to Wilkins, 24 Mar 1967, concerning changes made to the text; copy letter from Crick to Watson detailing Crick’s objections to a revised version of the text; Wilkins to Watson, 5 May 1967, suggesting a compilation of different individual accounts in the place of Watson’s proposed text.

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Papers of M H F Wilkins: drafts of James Watson’s book, ‘Honest Jim’, subsequently published as 'The double helix'

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Papers of M H F Wilkins: drafts of James Watson’s book, ‘Honest Jim’, subsequently published as 'The double helix'

Licence and re-use