Author:Philip Ball
PHYSICS WORLD 2018 BOOK OF THE YEAR
‘A clear and deeply researched account of what’s known about the quantum laws of nature, and how to think about what they might really mean’ Nature
‘I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.’ Richard Feynman wrote this in 1965 – the year he was awarded the Nobel prize in physics for his work on quantum mechanics. Over the past decade, the enigma of quantum mechanics has come into sharper focus. We now realise that quantum mechanics is less about particles and waves, uncertainty and fuzziness, than a theory about information: about what can be known and how.
The quantum world isn’t a different world: it is our world, and if anything deserves to be called ‘weird’, it’s us. This exhilarating book is about what quantum maths really means – and what it doesn’t mean.
‘Gorgeously lucid…takes us to the edge of contemporary theorizing about the foundations of quantum mechanics… Easily the best book I’ve read on the subject’ Washington Post
This is the book I wish I could have written, but am very glad I've read. It's an accessible, persuasive and thorough appraisal of what the most important theory in all of science actually means.
—— Jim Al-KhaliliExcellent.
—— Andrew Crumey , SpectatorBall is an exceptionally talented writer who manages to combine accessibility and thoroughness in razor-sharp prose
—— Philip Moriarty , Physics WorldRiveting ... Ball is an intelligent guide
—— Natalie Wolchover , NatureA deeply fascinating book … Philip Ball is a rare writer in having such depth of knowledge of a difficult field, yet retaining the critical eye of an observer. Highly recommended.
—— Jon Butterworth, Professor of Physics at UCL and author of SMASHING PHYSICSA laudable achievement.
—— Rob Kingston , The Sunday TimesBall, a gifted and prolific science writer familiar to Prospect readers, is a demanding but engaging guide to this daunting terrain.
—— Anjana Ahuja , ProspectA subtle unpacking of Heisenberg’s famous uncertainty principle… is alone worth the price of the book... Ball takes us on a whirlwind tour through the quantum realm
—— Manjit Kumar , New StatesmanPerfect. It is engaging and clear without feeling dumbed down. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in really understanding what quantum physics is all about
—— Kathryn Gempf , RSCThis author explains his subject simply and thoughtfully
—— Economist, **Books of the Year**[A] fascinating book
—— Chemistry & IndustryOne of the most lucid and enlightening books on the nature of the reality of the quantum world that I haver read
—— Jim Al-Khalill , Times Higher Education, *Summer reads of 2019*A book that thinks seriously and deeply about our modern predicament.
—— Steven Poole , Guardian, **Books of the Year**Illuminating about the frankly alarming condition of our politics, Nervous States describes how emotion took over from reason in contemporary populism
—— Melanie McDonagh , Evening Standard, **Books of the Year**Engrossing.
—— Alan Ryan , Literary ReviewBrilliant.
—— Matthew d'Ancona , GuardianDavies, a rising star in the world of political thought, has written a much-needed book that provides an original explanatory framework for our current predicament - Brexit and Trump included.
—— Guardian, 50 of the Biggest Books to Look Out For in Autumn 2018William Davies brilliantly explains that we can no longer sensibly look for hope in ever more technological achievements, especially those that subjugate nature to our will. As our times slow down we have to confront our fears, our pain and our resentment. We have to redefine hope.
—— Danny Dorling[Nervous States] does a great job of revealing fear’s capacity to mobilise people… [and serves] also as a stepping stone from which to approach the future.
—— Lilly Markaki , LSE Review of Books[An] impressively wide-ranging and imaginative analysis gives us a deeper understanding of the gap between fact and popular perception.
—— Paul Gordon , Times Literary SupplementBoth compelling and creative.
—— Hettie O'Brien , ProspectWide-ranging and ambitious.
—— David Nowell Smith , New HumanistDavies’s account is full of acute observations.
—— Malcolm Bull , London Review of BooksHarari effortlessly jumps between diverse topics.
—— Dov Greenbaum and Mark Gerstein , ScienceA thought-provoking, provocative, informative, terrifying, fact-filled series of essays which get the reader thinking, worrying and hoping.
—— Marina Vaizey , The Tablet, **Books of the Year**Harari essentially takes the pulse of society today and worldwide.
—— Pierre Jacques , Revolution[Harari] is a rare voice of calm reassurance, slicing through chaos.
—— Allan Hunter , Daily MirrorVividly written and spiked with references to Monty Python and The Lion King, Harari’s essays are thought-provoking and accessible
—— Jane Shilling , Daily MailA rollercoaster philosophical review of where we find ourselves today… 21 Lessons for the 21st Century is an absorbing, realistic, stark, yet hopeful book.
—— Perry Timms , Dialogue ReviewA bold and provocative read that expands one's frame of mind on the present-day world as we know it with the author's unique perceptions.
—— Chirag Jain , News PuddleOne of my favourite reads/listens recently was Michael Palin's excellent Erebus. Highly recommended.
—— Denzil Meyrick , The HeraldA true tale that brings the main characters and events to life with wit, empathy and clarity . . . A beautifully written and researched book from a natural storyteller. I expected something fantastic and I got it.
—— Jim McKeller , Sorted MagazineProbably the most enjoyable non-fiction book I have ever read.
—— Radio TimesTrigger warning: when scientists conclude that yesterday's worst-case scenario for global warming is probably unwarranted optimism, it's time to ask Scotty to beam you up. At least that was my reaction upon finishing Wallace-Wells' brilliant and unsparing analysis of a nightmare that is no longer a distant future but our chaotic, burning present.
—— Mike DavisA lucid and thorough description of our unprecedented crisis, and of the mechanisms of denial with which we seek to avoid its fullest recognition.
—— William GibsonPinker is right ... Much good news today tends to be underreported, even unreported. Human beings today lead longer, safer, healthier, wealthier and indeed happier lives than at any point in recorded history ... Pinker surveys the stupendous advancements that the human race has made in modern times according to a dizzying range of metrics
—— NationAn engaging, compelling set of reasons to be cheerful ... it is a welcome antidote
—— NatureThe world is better than ever before. And Steven Pinker can prove it.
—— VoxA substantial and wide-ranging book on the state of our world today ... In forensic detail, Pinker enumerates the myriad ways in which life is getting better ... The book is packed with statistics vaunting the gifts of progress
—— Irish TimesAfter devouring all 453 pages and 75 graphs of psychologist Steven Pinker's Enlightenment Now, I admit defeat. The defeat of defeatism. This man has done the math. Since the 18th century things have been getting better in pretty much every dimension of human wellbeing.
—— Big ThinkSteven Pinker has a cure for your despair ... life is better than it has ever been. Pinker's case is compelling
—— ProspectUseful and exciting ... Pinker doesn't declaim, he demonstrates - with dozens of graphs and charts - that humankind has spent two centuries winning the battle against entropy in all fields: from health to peace, the environment to democracy, wealth to happiness, to equality between men and women. He asks us crucial questions ... Steven Pinker is right
—— El Mundo (Spain)Enlightenment Now seeks to undo, with facts and figures, the pessimism that has paralysed the world ... We must read this book and absorb its message
—— El Pais (Colombia)Guys, it's really not that bad. In fact, it's the best it's ever been ... Pinker urges people to look at the bigger picture and dive into the data
—— New York PostThings are not as bad as your Facebook news feed makes them seem ... a cheerful, contrarian tract for dark times
—— Niall Ferguson , Boston GlobeCompelling ... At a moment when liberal Enlightenment values are under attack, from the right and the left, this is a very important contribution ... An impressive and useful accomplishment
—— AtlanticWhat makes Invisible Women so compelling is the mountain of data she draws on… a brilliant exposé
—— Ian Sample , Guardian, *Books of the Year*Every man should read this book… [Invisible Women] chats, in page after steely, meticulous page, precisely how the world…is designed around men, and how this puts women at an impossible disadvantage
—— James McConnachie , Sunday Times, *Books of the Year*Funny, exasperating and anger-inducing, there is something for everyone
—— Eleanor Parsons , New ScientistThe essential book of the year, mayhap the decade
—— Marina Vaizey , Tablet, *Books of the Year*A staggering expose of design prejudice and an impassioned call to action
—— ListPerez takes the truism that ours is a world designed for men and backs it with evidence. Impressively collating vast amounts of research
—— Prospect, *Books of the Year*A must-read for men and women alike
—— Hannah Beckerman , Sunday ExpressThis calm, dispassionate, hilarious, entertaining, maddening, infuriating narrative is a highly readable manifesto for real change
—— Marina Vaizey , The Arts Desk, *Books of the Year*This well-researched book turns everything we accept as normal on its head…[Invisible Women] succeeds in making a powerful case for change in a non-preachy, educative style… It is not entertainment; it is a thesis – and a powerful one at that
—— Alison Herbert and Dr Phyl Hughes , Law Society GazetteThis incredibly well-researched and engaging book highlights how the lack of gender-focused data results in the needs of more than half of the population being ignored. The numerous examples cited by Criado-Perez – ranging from infrastructure to healthcare – are shocking and sobering… Invisible Women offers valuable insight into the transformative power of diversity and equality to drive better economic outcomes
—— Christie Guimond , BriefingSuch an insightful book and a good read for everyone
—— Julie Stewart , Business TimesIncredibly topical and relevant in a rapidly changing world, Criado Perez’s multi-award-winning exposé on data bias has seen her become an authority on modern day inequalities
—— CapacityInvisible Women...is already a classic, but I can't recommend it enough
—— Sarah Pedersen , Times Higher EducationA powerful, insightful book
—— Tim Harford , WeekCompelling... revelatory... Criado Perez provides bountiful evidence of her thesis
—— Mariel McKone Leonard , London School of EconomicsA huge eye-opener
—— Jojo de Noronha , GrocerA witty, furious page-turner
—— Emma Donoghue , WeekInvisible Women is highly recommended to both men and women as an incredibly readable piece of journalism... Many of you will also find you cannot put down this passionate and informative book until you've finished it... illuminating and engaging
—— Platinum Business MagazineCompelling
—— Dr Mariel McKone Leonard , London School of EconomicsFilled with hair raising facts and figures, [Invisible Women] investigates the jarring matter of discrepancy and representation in our modern world... make no mistake, once you begin reading, it's hard to stop
—— Reilly Dufresne , Glasgow Guardian, *Christmas Gift Guide 2020*A deeply important and useful book... Fast, funny, angry and vital... A proper game-changer.
—— Caitlin Moran , Foyles, *Author Picks for Christmas*Criado Perez keeps the gobsmacking revelations flowing in a conversational manner, making the reader feel like she’s having lunch with a funny, knowledgeable and passionate friend
—— Science News