The Mold in Dr. Florey's Coat

Eric Lax's The Mold in Dr. Florey's Coat, about the development of penicillin, is that rare book that would have been better if it had been longer. He attempts to describe the development of penicillin without more than skating over the science. This could have been a better book if he had taken the time to explain, e.g., the implications of the sulfur for the chemical structure of penicillin. And it's never clear exactly what contribution was made by Ernst Chain, because we spend so much time on his difficult personality and notes between Florey husband & wife. I suppose when your previous book was a biography of Woody Allen it's tough to shift gears.