History provides the narrative frame for so many popular science books these days that it鈥檚 a treat to discover writers focusing on modern science in all its complexity. Our reviewers enjoyed John Charap鈥檚 鈥渨ell-informed, accessible鈥� guide to the new age of physics Explaining the Universe (Princeton University Press, 拢12.95), George Johnson鈥檚 鈥渂eguiling combination of clarity and enthusiasm鈥� in his exploration of quantum computing, A Shortcut through Time (Vintage, 拢7.99), Jim Al-Khalili鈥檚 鈥渆xcellent鈥漄uantum: A guide for the perplexed (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 拢14.99) and Imagining Numbers by Barry Mazur (Penguin Mathematics, 拢7.99) 鈥渁 delightful case for the pleasures of abstract thought鈥� 鈥� and that includes the square root of minus 15. Finally, Michael Rowan-Robinson found Robert Kirshner鈥檚 The Extravagant Universe (Princeton University Press, 拢12.95) wonderful and witty.
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