Quantum review by Institute of Physics press officer

J.O. Winters, press officer at the Institute of Physics has posted this great review of Quantum on Amazon:

'The history of quantum physics is the story of a group of physicists with minds capable of grasping horribly counter-intuitive truths about how the very smallest components of matter behave. The problem with trying to convey the wonder of what was achieved to the uninitiated (most of us!) through a popular science book is that you have to take them on a journey through those discoveries; requiring the reader to make the same leaps of faith that even Einstein wouldn't make. The sort of leaps of faith that have previously, think Earth going 'round the Sun or flat Earth, taken centuries to become common parlance.'

'Kumar offers a masterclass in how to help readers through, possibly, the most difficult field of physics out there. He entertains with a wonderfully illuminating narrative, telling the life stories of not only Bohr and Einstein, but also Planck, Rutherford, Schrodinger and many more. The most remarkable thing about this book however is that you don't, as with so many popular science books, skim the meat of the science, hanging onto the thread of the book through the more easily-accessed narrative. You relish and look forward to grasping the science. I dare say I've read physics books that tackle innately easier physics topics less well than Kumar takes on quantum physics.'

'To understand a fraction of quantum physics will increase ego by degrees of magnitude. To understand as much as Kumar offers (and to enjoy it, which you will) might give you a couple of sleepless nights (thinking about how your wave-particle coffee table is actually solid enough to hold your laptop) but you will end up feeling an intellectual colossus vis a vis anyone who hasn't read it and isn't actually a quantum physicist.'

Quantum - Hindustan Times review

A great review of Quantum in Indian newspaper The Hindustan Times:

'That science is a many-splendoured sexy thing is the radiating message that comes out of this fabulous book. Manjit Kumar writes a pulsating narrative about the history of modern science’s most fundamental revolution in Quantum (Hachette, Rs 495). The great debate about the nature of reality — between Albert Einstein and Neils Bohr where they and their ‘two schools of thought’ face each other off reads like Corleone-Tattaglia feud from the Godfather minus the machine guns, plus the atom-smashers.'

'Even in the prologue of this historical journey of science, Kumar knows how to hook the reader. “Paul Ehrenfest was in tears. He had made his decision. Soon he would attend the wee-long gathering where many of those responsible for the quantum revolution would try and understand the meaning of what they had wrought. There he would have to tell his old friend Albert Einstein that he had chosen to side with Niels Bohr.... In a note to Einstein as they sat around the conference table, Ehrenfest scribbled: ‘Don’t laugh! There’s a special section in purgatory for professors of quantum theory, where they will be obliged to listen to lectures on classical physics ten hours every day."'

'Kumar brings lucidity and a sense of drama to what is usually considered by lay readers as an esoteric, bubble-chambered subject. He does this without sacrificing the ‘science of it’ at the altar of readability. The triumphs and the tribulations, the politics and the physics, the humanity and the genius of the protagonists all collide to produce the sort of energy that we usually expect in a Le Carre thriller.'

See the full piece here.

Quantum - bestselling In India

We've just seen this bestseller chart in The Hindu, an Indian newspaper, which shows Manjit Kumar's book in sixth place:

1) The Idea Of Justice by Amartya Sen – Penguin Allen Lane Rs. 699

2) Jinnah- India – Partition Independence by Jaswant Singh – Rupa Rs. 695

3) Sociobiology – The New Synthesis by Edward O. Wilson Rs. 2376

4) Authentic Happiness – Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment by Martin E. P. Seligman , Ph.d – Nicholas Brealey Rs. 295

5) Think India – The Rise of The World’s Next Superpower by Vinay Rai & William L. Simon – Plume Rs. 399

6) Quantum – Einstein, Bohr And the Great Debate About the Nature Of Reality by Manjit Kumar – Hachette Rs. 495

7) Stop the Excuses! – How To change Lifelong Thoughts by Dr Wayne W. Dyer – Hay House Rs. 295

8) Cricket Biryani – The History of Hyderabad Cricket by P.R.Man Singh Rs. 1500

9) Romance of The Golconda Diamonds by Omar Khalidi Rs. 1400

10) A Better India A Better World by N R Narayana Murthy – Penguin Allen Lane Rs. 499

Quantum: well reviewed in India

'As an introduction to a fiendishly difficult branch of science it is hard to improve upon Quantum. This is one of the finest accounts of the 20th century’s greatest intellectual adventure' Express Buzz, India.

See the full review here.

Quantum - now big in India, too!

Hachette have just recently published the Indian edition of Quantum and its first review is just in:

'If theoretical and often boring physics can be delivered in an exciting novel style, Manjit Kumar has done it. His Quantum Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate about the Nature of Reality is an engrossing account of the high caliber intellectual and academic debates, sometimes acrimonious, on the then evolving concept of Quantum, in the 20th century.' The Organiser

Read the full review here.

Quantum reviewed by R.D.Brislin

Reader R.D. Brislin had these nice things to say about Quantum on Amazon.co.uk:

'I have always been fascinated by how 'it' all fits together, but struggle to find the time to concentrate on dry theoretical texts. It was therefore with great delight that I found myself engrossed in Quantum on the tube, the bus and even occasionally the walk in between. Manjit Kumar's writing eases you effortlessly into the some of the most complex ideas in physics by juxtaposing the personal stories of the authors playing out through the 20th century with the theories themselves. Sufficient detail is provided to challenge all but the most experienced reader, and a comprehensive references list encourages further exploration for those who need to dig even deeper. While having to admit to only momentary glimpses of both the elusive beauty, and the black hole enveloped by quantum theory, I felt strangely comforted that even Einstein struggled to fully embrace such a world.'

Read more reviews on Amazon at the book's page here.

Still searching for God's dice

A great review piece here on Quantum by Vikram Johri on his blog:

'Kumar’s real achievement is not in throwing light on quantum mechanics per se, which descriptions are often mired in thick scientific jargon, but on a time when the thrill of discovery was so palpable it could slice through butter like a hot knife.'

Read the full piece here.