Against the Tide

In Against the Tide: An Autobiographical Account of a Professional Outsider, Leslie Woods relates the fascinating story of his life from fisherman's son in New Zealand to head of the Mathematical Institute at the University of Oxford.  After starting at a trade school, he won a scholarship to a university, then joined the RNZAF, and later became a fighter pilot in the Pacific. Following WWII, Woods won a Rhodes scholarship to Merton College in Oxford. He has held positions at the University of New South Wales, Oxford's Balliol College, and Culham Laboratory. Besides recounting his history, Woods explains why magnetic fusion has failed to succeed and outlines the philosophy of science to which he subscribes.