Echols was a gifted molecular biologist. We see now that he was also a talented storyteller. Echols enriches his tale of the molecular biology revolution with many first-person observations. Operators and Promoters presents not just the key concepts and experiments but also the personalities involved. The scholarship is superb.--Thomas R. Cech, President, Howard Hughes Medical Institute This book is alive with the process of doing molecular biology. The 'facts' of science are clearly and elegantly presented.--Nancy L. Craig, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine In his book, Echols presents a combined perspective that no other 'insider' book offers: he is realistic about what makes people work, and their drives and flaws, but in equal measure he is passionate and idealistic about what science can be.--Sharon R. Long, Stanford University The best kind of history, because it presents the ideas and experiments in their scientific and human context, so reading it is almost like living through the period again--and will make it come alive for those who arrived on the scene later.--Evelyn Witkin, Rutgers University An absolutely thrilling account of the development of molecular biology as we know it. I can barely contain my enthusiasm for it.--Robert Lehman, Stanford University Medical Center