Price: $39.95

Format:
Paperback 768 pp.
1 line drawing, 156 mm x 234 mm

ISBN-10:
0192806696

ISBN-13:
9780192806697

Publication date:
November 2005

Imprint: OUP UK

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Magic Universe

A Grand Tour of Modern Science

Nigel Calder

This is a marvellously engaging tour covering the whole of modern science, from transgenic crops to quantum tangles. Written by one of the most experienced and well-known names in science writing, it is also assuredly reliable science. Although arranged for convenience and quick reference as a collection of topics in alphabetical order, it is very different from any conventional encyclopedia. Each topic tells a story, making the book eminently browsable. Packed with information, yet carrying its immense learning lightly, this is a book that would appeal to anyone with the slightest interest in how the world works.

Readership : General readers with an interest in science: physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, and earth sciences.

Reviews

• `so joyfully demanding was this book in its insistence that every section should be carefully read and reread, that for the first time in my life I missed a review deadline....Calder's brief introduction is a subtle delight and should fire even a lazy brain into action.... Calder is the ideal companion for any non-scientist keen to know something about how science works adn what it can do -- immensely knowledgeable, lively, articulate, sympathetic, intelligible and always interesting.'
  Martyn Berry, Chemistry & Industry
• `Review from previous edition He is really exceptional in his energy, his range of comprehension, and his quality as a writer. . . . Nigel Calder remains supreme in his range and depth . . . he goes to immense trouble to get things right, and also takes pains with the clarity and elegance of his writing.'
  Sir Martin Rees, FRS, Astronomer Royal
• `A must for every sixth-form and student of science, it is also the ideal compendium for non-scientists of any age who are trying to keep abreast.'
  John Cornwell, Sunday Times
• `Magic Universe is a marvellous read...it can be enjoyed like a high-quality magazine'
  Mark Ridley, Times Literary Supplement
• `Here's evidence of a steady hand, a cool nerve and a clear sense of what matters...Nigel Calder is a science writer with a superb record and immense experience...Dip and dart.'
  Malcolm Smith, Guardian
• `A must for every student of science, and the ideal compendium for non-scientists of any age trying to keep abreast.'
  John Cornwell, Sunday Times
• `In this compendium he deals seriously yet entertainingly with just about every sicientific subject you can imagine, and many that you cannot...a solid reference source for many years to come.'
  Independent Review