Jane S. Smith writes about the intersection of nature, science, and social change, and also about the business of taste. IN PRAISE OF CHICKENS, her latest book, chronicles centuries of poultry wisdom from scientists, humanists, fanciers, and backyard farmers, with dozens of antique illustrations. THE GARDEN OF INVENTION:LUTHER BURBANK AND THE BUSINESS OF BREEDING PLANTS received the Caroline Bancroft Prize in Western American History. Her chronicle of the first polio vaccine, PATENTING THE SUN: POLIO AND THE SALK VACCINE, was awarded the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Science and Technology. Her novel FOOL'S GOLD won the Adult Fiction Award from the Society of Midland Authors. She lives in Chicago, where she works in a very small room with a very large window.