Author name: uffvir

“Curiosity is a wonderful book that revises popular assumptions about the Scientific Revolution with great wit and insight. But ultimately it is both a cogent and vigorously argued reflection on what drives modern experimental science… Philip Ball distinguishes himself as unquestionably one of our finest – and most curious – writers on the history and future of science.”Jerry Brotton, Literary Review
…

Reviews: CURIOSITY: How Science Became Interested in EverythingRead More »

“[A] wonderful account of why music matters, why it wrenches our souls and satisfies our minds and sometimes drives us crazy… I defy anyone to read this book without coming away better informed about why music affects us in such a profound way… His passion for music is evident on every page.” Sunday Times
…

Reviews: THE MUSIC INSTINCT : How music works and why we can’t live without itRead More »

“How do you write a novel about science? Many people do it badly, but with ‘The Sun and Moon Corrupted’, Philip Ball succeeds at his first attempt. Six steps lead to a good read, and Ball has aced them all.” Nature

“Ball has still written a fine novel which achieves a kind of well-wrought luminescence and purity of its own: much like the glowing result of an alchemical experiment.” The New Humanist

“Neder is as elusive, crazed and compelling as Nabokov’s John Shade.” Financial Times

…

Reviews: THE SUN AND MOON CORRUPTED: A novelRead More »

“Ball brings to light a largely forgotten phase of human understanding. It is a considerable achievement.”Peter Ackroyd, Times

“Wonderfully rich… Ball does an excellent job of recreating this strange and wonderful age, with its wandering wizards and its magical worldview. [He] succeeds in convincing us that, despite [Paracelsus’s] arcane ideas, his vision of the ‘strangeness and the beauty of the magical universe’ remains both inspiring and important.” P.D.Smith, Guardian

…

Reviews: THE DEVIL’S DOCTOR: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and ScienceRead More »

“I cannot think of anyone else who is able to present this chemical history tour with such precision and clarity… Ball is witty, wise, and delightful.” Pedro Cintas, Angewandte Chemie

“The whole book is full of vivid characters, pointed anecdote and insightful comment, and is a delight to read.” Martyn Berry, Chemistry & Industry
…

Reviews: ELEGANT SOLUTIONS: Ten Beautiful Experiments in ChemistryRead More »

“Ball delves far beyond today’s headlines… substantial, impeccably researched and generally persuasive. For anyone who would like to learn about the intellectual ferment at the surprising junction of physics and social science, Critical Mass is the place to start.” Steven Strogatz, Nature

“Philip Ball makes physics sexy again in Critical Mass.” Vanity Fair

“Lively and wonderfully informative.” George Scialabba, Boston Globe

…

Reviews: CRITICAL MASS: How One Thing Leads to AnotherRead More »