1
of
1
Breakthrough
Spectacular stories of scientific discovery from the Higgs particle to black holes
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 226 ratings, 38 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still
learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Summary
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2799
Unit price
/
Unavailable
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER
Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks
Found a better price? Request a price match
Breakthrough
$2799
Unit price
/
Unavailable
Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
Latest News
A Little Bit of Magic: Building the Rolife Magic Fantasy Corner
There's nothing quite like spending an evening building a little bit of magic! Last weekend,...
Popular Kid's Series Made Into Graphic Novels!
Eve is rounding up some of her favourite children's series that are also available in...
Why I Started Reading Cosy Romance
For years, my sister-in-law and I have joked that I need to fall in love...
Your Guide to Yuval Noah Harari
Yuval Noah Harari is a best selling history author as well as a philosopher, and...
Magical Athlete - The Board Game for Non-Board Gamers!
Is the board game Magical Athlete the 'Board Game of the Year' for non-board gamers?
See moreThe spellbinding stories of the scientists whose eureka! breakthroughs in modern physics reveal science's astonishing predictive power.
The spellbinding stories of the scientists whose eureka! breakthroughs in modern physics reveal science's astonishing predictive power.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
'Marcus Chown rocks!' - Brian May
How does it feel to know something about the universe that no one has ever known before? And why is mathematics so good at revealing nature's secrets?
This is the story of the scientists who, using mathematics, predicted the existence of unknown planets, black holes, invisible force fields, ripples in the fabric of space-time, unsuspected subatomic particles, and even antimatter.
The journey from prediction to proof transports us from seats of learning in Paris and Cambridge to the war-torn Russian front, to bunkers beneath nuclear reactors, observatories in Berlin and California, and huge tunnels under the Swiss-French border. From electromagnetism to Einstein's gravitational waves to Wolfgang Pauli's elusive neutrino, acclaimed science writer Marcus Chown takes us on a breathtaking, mind-altering tour of the major breakthroughs of modern physics and highlights science's central mystery: its astonishing predictive power.
Praise for Marcus Chown:
'What good popular science writing is all about.' - Jim Al-Khalili
'Pretty wonderful.' - Richard Dawkins
'Entertaining and at times mind-boggling.' - The Times
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Breakthrough by Marcus Chown is celebrated for combining complex scientific ideas with human interest by exploring the untold stories behind significant scientific breakthroughs. It is praised for being well-researched and engaging, providing insights into the personal journeys and challenges that led to groundbreaking innovations. Readers appreciate its ability to make science accessible and compelling, making it suitable for both science enthusiasts and general readers.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780571366712
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 05 August 2021
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Faber & Faber
Edition: Main
Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 18.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 253g
Pages: 304
About the Author
Marcus Chown is an award-winning science writer and broadcaster. Formerly a radio astronomer at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, his books include Solar System for iPad, which won a Bookseller Award for Digital Innovation. His acclaimed books include What a Wonderful World, Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You, We Need to Talk about Kelvin and The Ascent of Gravity, which was a Sunday Times Science Book of the Year. He lives in London.
www.marcuschown.com
@marcuschown
Also by Marcus Chown
View all-
We Need to Talk About Kelvin
Look around you. The reflection of your face in a window tells you that the universe is orchestrated by chance. The iron in a spot of blood on your finger tells you that somewhere out in space there is a furnace at a temperature of 4.5 billion degrees. Your TV tells you that the universe had a beginning. In fact,...Paperback$2600Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The One Thing You Need to Know
From gravity to black holes, special relativity to global warming, bestselling author Marcus Chown breaks down complex science into manageable chunks, explaining the one thing you really need to know to get to grips with the subject. Rather than trying to bend your mind around all the vast and confounding details of things such as gravitational waves, electricity and black...Paperback$2400Elsewhere:$2999Unit price /UnavailableBackorderShips mid November -
A Crack in Everything
What is space? What is time? Where did the universe come from? The answers to mankindβs most enduring questions may lie in scienceβs greatest enigma: black holes. A black hole is a region of space where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. This can occur when a star approaches the end of its life. Unable...Hardback$4999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Ascent of Gravity
The Sunday Times Science Book of the Year 2017 'Does Einstein proud . . . Eminently readable' β Guardian 'No one has covered the topic with such a light touch and joie de vivre . . . a delight' β Brian Clegg The Ascent of Gravity explores how gravity was the first force to be recognised and described, yet it...Paperback$2999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
A Crack in Everything
What is space? What is time? Where did the universe come from? The answers to mankindβs most enduring questions may lie in scienceβs greatest enigma: black holes. A black hole is a region of space where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. This can occur when a star approaches the end of its life. Unable...Paperback$5499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand
Our adventures in space, our deepening understanding of the quantum world, and huge leaps in technology over the last century have revealed a universe far stranger than we could ever have imagined. With brilliant clarity and wit, bestselling author Marcus Chown examines the profound science behind fifty remarkable scientific facts that help explain the vast complexities of our existence. Did...Paperback$2299Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The One Thing You Need to Know
From gravity to black holes, special relativity to global warming, this authoritative and entertaining book from bestselling author Marcus Chown breaks down complex science into manageable chunks, explaining the one thing you really need to know to get to grips with the subject. In a world in which most people are time poor, telling them the one thing they need...Hardback$4499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You
The two towering achievements of modern physics are quantum theory and Einstein's general theory of relativity. But, almost a century after their advent, most people haven't the slightest clue what either is about. Did you know that there's so much empty space inside matter that the entire human race could be squeezed into the volume of a sugar cube? Or...PaperbackSold Out
More from Biography & Memoir
View all-
New ReleaseOne Helluva Ride
"This book is about where I came from, what I fought against, and what I chose formyself. Fame can blur the truth; this is my attempt to bring it back into focus." A legendary actor and Hollywood Icon whose five-decade career spans film, television,and producing, Michael Douglas has won two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, fiveGolden Globes, a Primetime Emmy,...Paperback$3200Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
New ReleaseA Life in Lyrics
Freddie Mercury was one of the greatest showmen of the twentieth century. With his unparalleled voice and searing on-stage energy, he was a great pretender, a killer queen and a champion of the world. But behind the glamour lived a musician and lyricist talented beyond measure, and the creative force behind one of the most culturally significant and musically diverse...Hardback$5000Elsewhere:$6500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
New Release
Nothing to Lose
There's no one as dangerous as someone who believes they have nothing to lose. Eight years ago, Nix Adams started posting videos on Facebook while she was freshly out of jail, in order to show her kids that she was sober and on the path back to them. It was after her youngest child, Alaska, died suddenly of a virus...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableBackorderShips mid November -
New ReleaseIs It Too Late to Make a Run for It?
The book we've all been waiting for, national treasure Judi Dench opens her almost inexhaustible collection of memories from life and acting. Join Judi as she lifts the curtain on cherished memories and hilarious anecdotes from seven decades of performing with some of the greatest names in theatre. Step behind the camera as she reprises her most famous roles, such...Paperback$3299Elsewhere:$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Drive
A thrilling, candid and uncompromising memoir covering over twenty-years at the pinnacle of Formula 1,Β DriveΒ sees Christian Horner, one of the sportβs biggest characters, take readers into the heart of Red Bull Racing as he reflects on his extraordinary career. For over twenty years Christian Horner built and ran Red Bull Racing, transforming a rookie team acquired for Β£1 into one...Paperback$3999Elsewhere:$4500Unit price /UnavailableBackorderShips mid November -
New ReleaseSwan Song
Beautiful. Beloved. Hunted. The extraordinary life and death of Diana, as told by her brother, Charles β available to pre-order now. βWhen asked, βWhat was it like, growing up with Diana?β, my first thought is always, But I donβt know what it was like not to grow up with herβ¦β In September 1997, Charles Spencer stood in Westminster Abbey before...Hardback$5499Elsewhere:$6500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
New ReleaseFictional Selves
From the beloved actor and star of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet and Sex and the City comes a candid and deeply personal memoir. In this highly anticipated memoir, the beloved actor and star of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Sex and the City and more shares his utterly original account of his offbeat journey in Hollywood, his battles with fear and...Hardback$4799Elsewhere:$6000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
New ReleaseThe Steps
The long-awaited memoir from a true Hollywood icon. We know Sylvester Stallone as one of the most revered actors, writers, and directors of all time, yet his life story is every bit as dramatic, intense, and inspiring as his greatest creations on screen. Bringing together a no-holds-barred account of a fascinating life with messages of hope, positivity, and resilience, in...Paperback$3299Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
New ReleaseHome Again
Join rock-legend, former Shihad frontman and lead singer of The Adults, Jon Toogood in this unflinching and no-holds-barred memoirΒ Home Again.This is more than a rock story.Β Toogood looks back on a 37-year career that helped define New Zealand rock music, and the personal cost that came with it.Β From a music-obsessed childhood in Wellington to the deafening roar of international stages, this...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Dogs, Boys and Other Things I've Cried About
From the social media superstar behind @SimonSits, Isabel Klee--known for her heartwarming tales of dog rescue--comes an utterly winning memoir about a twentysomething woman's search for true love in New York City and the dogs who helped her find it. A Jersey girl by birth, Isabel Klee had always wanted to live in New York City. At age 20, she...Paperback$3299Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Famesick
Chronicling the tumultuous decade between the premiere of Girls to her 2021 shotgunΒ wedding (minus the baby, because she has no uterus), Lena Dunham takes us through herΒ journey with her trademark mix of humor, unsparing honesty, and keen eye for detail. We peek behind the scenes - of her work, her family, her relationships, and her battle to reclaim her body...Paperback$3299Elsewhere:$3500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
This Angry Pen of Mine
This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...Hardback$7299Elsewhere:$8999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 160,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
Biography & Memoir lists from the team
Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!
-
![]()
![]()
![]()
Lizzy's listBiography & Memoir
Memorable Memoirs of Kiwi Women
Looking for an amazing local memoir of one of the many amazing women here in Aotearoa? Here's a great list, featuring some...View the list -
![]()
![]()
![Lucky You're Tough]()
Lizzy's listBiography & Memoir
Memorable Memoirs of Kiwi Men
Looking for an amazing local memoir of one of the many amazing men here in Aotearoa? Here's a great list, featuring some...View the list
