Reviews of Gribbin's Writings
The conservative political magazine The Spectator described Gribbin as "one of the finest and most prolific writers of popular science around" in a review of Science: A History, which it praises as "the product of immense learning, and a lifetime spent working out how to write in a vivacious way about science and scientists", but criticises failing to give adequate representation to famous women scientists.
Henry Gee, A Senior Editor at Nature, described the Gribbins as "the best science writers around".
A review of The Universe: A Biography in the journal Physics World praised his skill in explaining difficult ideas.
A Wall Street Journal review of Flower Hunters (co-authored with Mary Gribbin) described the writing as "pedestrian" with plenty of domestic detail but failing to convey a larger cultural context. It stated that the book's chapter-length biographical sketches are too often superficial, and criticised the book for glaring omissions of prominent plant collectors.
In a review of The Reason Why, the Times Higher Education states that Gribbin writes on speculative matters and presents some of his theories without supporting evidence, but noted his comprehensive research and lyrical writing.
A review of his biography of Stephen Hawking in the Los Angeles Times expressed concern that Gribbin and White's work had not been edited for American readers and that some readers may be put off as a result, and stated that some of the authors' information regarding an American educational institution was "simply wrong."
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