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  • Published: 3 March 2000
  • ISBN: 9780099289920
  • Imprint: Vintage
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 464
  • RRP: $32.99

The Elegant Universe




An astonishing book which combines great scientific insight and elegant writing to unravel the greatest mysteries of one of our most complex scientific concepts: string theory

'Compulsively readable...Green threatens to do for string theory what Stephen Hawking did for holes' New York Times
In this international bestseller, Columbia University professor Brian Greene provides, in layman’s terms, a comprehensive demystification of string theory. Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away layers of the unknown, through introducing concepts from quantum mechanics to general relativity, to reveal a universe that consists of eleven dimensions. Accessible and enlightening, Greene's inimitable blend of expert scientific insight and literary ingenuity makes The Elegant Universe an exhilarating read that brings us closer to understanding how our magnificent universe works.

‘Utterly absorbing...a brilliant achievement. An accessible, equationless account of strings’ Sunday Telegraph

  • Published: 3 March 2000
  • ISBN: 9780099289920
  • Imprint: Vintage
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 464
  • RRP: $32.99

About the author

Brian Greene

Brian Greene was educated at Harvard and Oxford, receiving his doctorate in 1987. He is currently professor of Physics and Mathematics at Columbia. The Elegant Universe won the 2000 Aventis Prize.

Brian Greene was educated at Harvard and Oxford, graduating in 1987. After spending time at Harvard and Cornell, he is currently a Professor of Physics and of Mathematics at Columbia. He is the author of the bestselling book about string theory, The Elegant Universe, which won the Aventis Prize in 2000.

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Praise for The Elegant Universe

A theory of physics which defies empirical confirmation, predicts there are ten dimensions and proposes that the fundamental particles of matter are infinitely tiny strings is not the obvious basis for a bestseller, but Greene makes it zip along

Nigel Hawkes, The Times

Greene has brought an absorbing field of enquiry to vivid life

Nature

Greene probably delivers as deep an understanding of this esoteric material as is possible for a lay reader to take on board

Herald

Greene has done a brilliant job of explaining the ideas of Superstring Theory and M-theory in everyday terms

New Scientist

Greene's achievement in The Elegant Universe is to make us feel at home in the chillingly abstract world of strings

Sunday Telegraph

Develops one fresh new insight after another... In the great tradition of physicists writing for the masses, The Elegant Universe sets a standard that will be hard to beat

New York Times Book Review

Utterly absorbing...a brilliant achievement. An accessible, equationless account of strings, explaining why they are generating so much excitement among their devotees. Greene's achievement is to make us feel at home in the chillingly abstract world of strings and to convince us that we must take it seriously

Sunday Telegraph

As rewarding as it gets... A thrilling ride through a lovely landscape... A compelling human saga

Los Angeles Times Book Review

Compulsively readable...Green threatens to do for string theory what Stephen Hawking did for holes

New York

[A] tour-de-force of science writing...peels away layers of detail and reveals the stunning essence of cutting-edge physics

Shing-Tung Yau, Harvard University; Fields Medalist, winner of the National Medal of Science