The World Treasury Of Physics, Astronomy And Math

How it would be possible to rate this collection of essays less than 5 stars I'm not sure. Ferris has assembled one of the best selection of science writing on the subjects of 20th century physics, astronomy and maths that I have ever come across. The ordering is logical and comprehensive, and the essays are by the best authorities and communicators in each field assembled. The broad themes are explorations of Relativity, Quantum mechanics, Astrophysics, Game theory, Chaos, science biography, poetry and philosophy. There are poems by James Clerk Maxwell and Emily Dickenson, biographys of Rutherford and Turing, and several essays by Azimov, Einstein, and Feynman. On Quantum there are essay's by Bohr, Heisenberg, Russell, Dirac and Von Neuman, On Astronomy by Hubble, Sagan, Eddington and Weinberg. Mathmathics is explored by Mandelbrot, Von Neumnan and there is Alan Turing's original paper on a test for Artificial intelligence. Biographys on Chandrasekkera Rutherford, Robert Wilson and others compete for one another for attention as to the lives of these facinating men. One or two essays were poor selections (Schwinger on Tomonaga seems to have been interted to show an interest in Japanese physics at the time of the war, but is so baddly written that few would argue it belongs here I think). Another gaping hole is the almost complete absence of women contributors, addressed almost as apology by Vivian Gornick. Notably there is an essay by Pierre Curie but not by Mdme. It may have been she died before writing a public communique, but I think it is the major flaw of the collection. Overall this was absolutly a materful collection. I will be re-reading many of these essays again I am sure.gh