On Albert Einstein's seventy-sixth and final birthday, a friend gave him a simple toy made from a broomstick, a brass ball attached to a length of string, and a weak spring. Einstein was delighted: the toy worked on a principle he had conceived fifty years earlier when he was working on his revolutionary theory of gravity--a principle whose implications are still confounding physicists today.
Starting with this winning anecdote, Anthony Zee begins his animated discussion of phenomena ranging from the emergence of galaxies to the curvature of space-time, evidence for the existence of gravity waves, and the shape of the universe in the first nanoseconds of creation and today. Making complex ideas accessible without oversimplifying, Zee leads the reader through the implications of Einstein's theory and its influence on modern physics. His playful and lucid style conveys the excitement of some of the latest developments in physics, and his new Afterword brings things even further up-to-date.
Industry Reviews
"An extraordinary writer: playful, inspired, and brilliant."--Publishers Weekly
"Zee writes with wry, poetic humor.... It's as if he is conducting an easygoing conversation with his audience...a scientist who can clearly evoke the imagery hidden within a mathematical equation, treating some rather formidable material with enthusiasm and delight."--The New York Times
"A brash, breezy, and authoritative discussion...a fascinating book."--The Washington Post
"Through his engaging, conversational style, Zee...succeeds in informing while entertaining the reader with disarming stories."--The San Francisco Chronicle
"Among the numerous authors who have written popularizations of contemporary physics, none is better than Zee at explaining things simply."--Library Journal
"An extraordinary writer: playful, inspired, and brilliant."--Publishers Weekly
"Zee writes with wry, poetic humor.... It's as if he is conducting an easygoing conversation with his audience...a scientist who can clearly evoke the imagery hidden within a mathematical equation, treating some rather formidable material with enthusiasm and delight."--The New York Times
"A brash, breezy, and authoritative discussion...a fascinating book."--The Washington Post
"Through his engaging, conversational style, Zee...succeeds in informing while entertaining the reader with disarming stories."--The San Francisco Chronicle
"Among the numerous authors who have written popularizations of contemporary physics, none is better than Zee at explaining things simply."--Library Journal
"How many times have you actually laughed out loud reading a book on physics? If your answer is 'Never!', then you should pick up a copy of An Old Man's Toy [Einstein's Universe].... Many books on physics can be very interesting, but it is rare to find one that is actually fun to read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone. A. Zee has a style of writing that makes one keep turning the pages.... [The book] is
interesting, playfully written, and very readable. Don't pass it up."--The Science Teacher
"A. Zee is that rare creature: a physicist who knows how to tell a story. (His previous book) Fearful Symmetry was...lucid, entertaining. In this reprise, Zee is just as fascinating, and even funnier...with his prankish good humor and gifts for simplifying the complicated.... An Old Man's Toy [Einstein's Universe] is both a delightful read and a faithful yet accessible look at an avant-garde that is far more revolutionary than any
downtown's club scene...it is too rare an opportunity to miss."--Life of New York
