
Magic Universe
A Grand Tour of Modern Science
Nigel Calder(Author)
Oxford University Press
Published on 1. January 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
768 pages
978-0-19-280669-7 (ISBN)
Description
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.
Reviews / Votes
'probably the broadest sweep of current science in one book... Each essayis excellently written in a style which is both entertaining and informative. Magic Universe takes us on an amazing tour through the length and breadth of science. The reader can open the book anywhere and find some fascinating facts, historical insights or just a good story. Once picked up, this book is difficult tp put down, and readers will find themselves returning to it time after time for well-written science at its interdisciplinary best. David Chamberlain, Chemistry World It's this truly immense feat of multi-disciplinary conciliation, as much as the essays themselves, which explains the sublime nature of existence. Calder's own trick is that in a mere instant he can apparently transform the general reader into a superbrain. His dispatches from some of the farthest outreaches of contemporary science are concise and precise, as opposed to simple, but he has a gift for making the conceptually baffling seem approachable. 'Magic Universe' may be a little unwieldly to hold, it is exceedingly difficult to put down. Laurence Phelan, Independent on SundayMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
General readers with an interest in science: physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology, and earth sciences.
Illustrations
1 line drawing
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 158 mm
Thickness: 42 mm
Weight
1153 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-280669-7 (9780192806697)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
10/2005
OUP eBook
€12.99
Available for download
Person
Nigel Calder is a long-established and widely known science writer, and a former Editor of New Scientist.
Content
OVER 130 ARTICLES, FROM..; ...TO..