Includes bibliographical references (pages 381-384) and index.

Growing up in Brooklyn -- The essential Paul Berg -- College and World War II -- Western Reserve University -- Copenhagen -- Washington University, St. Louis -- Discovering transfer RNA -- Stanford University and its refurbished Department of Biochemistry -- Transcription and translation : new directions -- Making recombinant DNA : the first faltering steps -- Making recombinant DNA : a major breakthrough -- EcoRI restriction endonuclease : a major breakthrough -- "Coincidence is the word we use when we can't see the levers and pulleys" -- Yet another Stanford contribution -- An historic meeting in Hawaii -- The recombinant DNA controversy -- A momentous Gordon Research Conference -- Making recombinant molecules with frog DNA -- The controversy heats up -- Asilomar II -- The dissenters : a different point of view -- The aftermath -- Legislative and revisionist challenges to recombinant DNA -- Asilomar II : lessons learned -- The Nobel Prize in chemistry -- Commercializing the technology -- Life goes on -- The "retirement" years -- Public policy issues : and other interests -- Personal challenges.