Reviews

Alchemy: An Illustrated History of Elixirs, Experiments, and the Birth of Modern Science by Philip Ball

“Ball’s eclectic knowledge of chemistry, his insatiable curiosity and his willingness to collections that covered anything from venture off well-beaten paths make him an excellent guide. This captivating guide is sumptuously decorated on nearly every page… A beautiful way to remind yourself of how science got to where it is now.”
Kit Chapman, Nature

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Beautiful Experiments: An Illustrated History of Experimental Science by Philip Ball

“Although experimentation is arguably the backbone of modern science, historians of science have often tended to focus their studies on theoretical developments. . . . Ball aims to rectify that disparity in his new book Beautiful Experiments, which outlines sixty investigations carried out from antiquity to the present day. Ball groups the experiments into six chapters, each of which focuses on themes, including the behavior of organisms, the nature of light, and the nature of life. He complements those efforts with five meditative interludes that delve into philosophical or aesthetic topics relating to experimentation, such as how to define an experiment, why thought experiments are useful, and what scientists mean when they say an experiment is beautiful. The richly illustrated book is a treat for the eyes.”
Physics Today

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“Ball argues that we must look beyond our own brains and delve into the minds of other creatures if we want to truly understand ourselves and comprehend the possibility of alien or machine intelligence.” New Scientist, “Don’t Miss”

“That even plants might have a degree of consciousness is one aspect of mind considered in Philip Ball’s wide-ranging new book… Peering into other putative minds—animal, plant, AI, alien—Ball breaks the narcissistic trap of our sapiocentrism, our default assumption that the world is ours first, and only later should we condescend to find a little space for the rest of creation… Ball deals equally coolly with the possibility of communicating with other minds in the cosmos—having recently learnt to message the universe after billions of years, why would we expect another life form suddenly to respond? Ball is the laureate of curiosity and a one-stop source of wisdom. This book will teach you a lot about minds; but it will also make you marvel at the capacious and sagacious one possessed by its author.” Prospect …

Reviews: THE BOOK OF MINDS: How to Understand Ourselves and Other Beings, from Animals to AI to AliensRead More »

“Easily the best book I’ve read on the subject.” Margaret Wertheim, Washington Post

“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.” Natalie Wolchover, Nature

“the most original and interesting book on quantum physics for the general public in a long while.” Brian Clegg, Physics World

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“Ball does an impressive job with the literary histories behind each iconic title, assembling a set of origin stories rich in cultural history and imagination… To Ball, mythic writing is where the conditions of irrationality, superstition, and enchantment persist: forms of wonder that depend on the disconnect between what we know for sure and what we simply believe.” Sophie Gee, New York Times Book Review
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Selected for science books of the year in the Observer and Times Higher Education. Shortlisted for the 2014 Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books.

“The story is intriguing for it reveals the lack of insight of many of the world’s greatest physicists.”Robin McKie, Observer

“Ball’s book shows what can happen to morality when cleverness and discovery are valued above all else.”Philip Maughan, New Statesman
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“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
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