Thomas Levenson is a professor of science writing at MIT. He is the author of several books, including The Hunt for Vulcan, Einstein in Berlin, and Newton and the Counterfeiter: The Unknown Detective Career of the World's Greatest Scientist. He has also made ten feature-length documentaries (including a two-hour Nova program on Einstein) for which he has won numerous awards.
“Delightful . . . a charming tale about an all-but-forgotten
episode in science history.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Engaging . . . At heart, this is a story about how science
advances, one insight at a time. But the immediacy, almost romance,
of [Thomas] Levenson’s writing makes it almost novelistic.”—The
Washington Post
“Captures the drama of the tireless search for this celestial
object.”—Science
“Levenson’s narrative is a well-structured, fast-paced example of
exemplary science writing. A scintillating popular account of the
interplay between mathematical physics and astronomical
observations.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“The Hunt for Vulcan is a short, beautifully produced book that
tells a cautionary tale. . . . Levenson is a breezy writer who
renders complex ideas in down-to-earth language . . . and
colorfully illustrates the limits of scientific theory as it faces
new data and even more persuasive theories.”—The Boston Globe
“Thomas Levenson wonderfully tells the story of Vulcan. . . .
Looping through science history from Isaac Newton onwards, Levenson
elegantly reveals the evolutionary nature of scientific thought,
and the marvel of the revolution that Einstein wrought.”—Nature
“An essential read . . . a compelling story that successfully
portrays how science deals with ambiguity . . . The Hunt for Vulcan
succeeds spectacularly at displaying the intricate, confusing, and
sometimes quirky way science progresses.”—Ars Technica
“This delightful and enlightening drama tells the story of the hunt
for a planet that did not exist and how Einstein resolved the
mystery with the most beautiful theory in the history of science.
The Hunt for Vulcan is an inspiring tale about the quest for
discovery and the challenges and joys of understanding our
universe.”—Walter Isaacson
“The Hunt for Vulcan is equal to the best science writing I’ve read
anywhere, by any author. Beautifully composed, rich in historical
context, deeply researched, it is, above all, great storytelling.
Levenson gives a true picture of the scientific enterprise, with
all its good and bad guesses, wishful thinking, passion, human ego,
and desire to know and understand this strange and magnificent
cosmos we find ourselves in.”—Alan Lightman, author of The
Accidental Universe
“Thomas Levenson’s brilliance as a writer is in setting the
evolution of scientific ideas into their appropriate historical
contexts, allowing us to see their wider implications. In this
engaging, informative book, laced with lovely anecdotes, Levenson
elegantly teaches us about both the laws of physics and the less
law-abiding ways in which physics advances occur.”—Lisa Randall,
professor of physics, Harvard University, and author of Dark
Matter and the Dinosaurs
“Levenson deftly draws readers into a quest that shows how
scientists think and argue, as well as how science advances: one
discovery at a time.”—Publishers Weekly
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