Gleick's story begins at the turn of the twentieth century with the young H. G. Wells writing and rewriting the fantastic tale that became his first book, an international sensation, 'The Time Machine.' A host of forces were converging to transmute the human understanding of time, some philosophical and some technological-- the electric telegraph, the steam railroad, the discovery of buried civilizations, and the perfection of clocks. Gleick tracks...

"It is a search for a view of the universe that unites two seemingly opposed pillars of modern science: Einstein's theory of general relativity, which deals with large scale phenomena like planets, solar systems and galaxies, and quantum theory, which deals with the world of the very small -- molecules, atoms and electrons. In the last few years, physicists have made big steps toward their goal of a completely new theory of space, time and the universe,...

In 1884, Edwin A. Abbott published a brilliant novel about mathematics and philosophy that charmed and fascinated all of England. As both a witty satire of Victorian society and a means by which to explore the fourth dimension, Flatland remains a tour de force. Now, British mathematician and accomplished science writer Ian Stewart has written a fascinating, modern sequel to Abbott's book. Through larger-than-life characters and an inspired story line,...