The Book Of Nothing
  • Published: 3 August 2001
  • ISBN: 9780099288459
  • Imprint: Vintage
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 400
  • RRP: $32.99

The Book Of Nothing

Formats & editions
EBook
15 Feb 2011
Paperback
3 Aug 2001
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'Barrow explains nothing with great clarity, a lovely lightness of touch and enormous erudition' Spectator

How do you begin to understand the concept of nothing?

Where does it begin and where does it end?

From the zeros of the mathematician to the void of the philosophers, from Shakespeare to the empty set, from the ether to the quantum vacuum, from being and nothingness to creatio ex nihilo, there is much ado about nothing at the heart of things.

Recent exciting discoveries in astronomy are shown to shed new light on the nature of the vacuum and its dramatic effect upon the explanation of the Universe. This remarkable book ranges over every nook and cranny of nothingness to reveal how the human mind has had to make something of nothing in every field of human enquiry.
  • Published: 3 August 2001
  • ISBN: 9780099288459
  • Imprint: Vintage
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 400
  • RRP: $32.99
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About the author

John D. Barrow

John D. Barrow is Professor of Mathematical Sciences and Director of the Millennium Mathematics Project at Cambridge University, Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge, a Fellow of the Royal Society, and formerly Professor of both Geometry and Astronomy at Gresham College, London. His previous books include The Book of Nothing, The Constants of Nature, The Infinite Book, Cosmic Imagery, the bestselling 100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know, The Book of Universes, and, most recently, 100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know About Sport.

portrait photo of John D. Barrow

Also by John D. Barrow

Mathletics
The Book of Universes
100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know About Maths and the Arts
Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know Brain Shot
100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know
Cosmic Imagery
The Infinite Book
See all

Praise for The Book Of Nothing

The startling story of the West's intellectual struggle with the concept of zero is told with admirable elegance and clarity

New Statesman

When it comes to explaining the trickiest ideas John Barrow goes the extra mile which helps you to understand when going on

Guardian

An entertaining and informative account of how the zero came into being in ancient civilisations such as the Babylonian and Egyptian...I am happy to report that nothing is full of interesting reading

New Scientist