Best Selling Books by John Gribbin

The amazing true science behind the fiction of His Dark Materials, ideal for fans of the original trilogy and The Book of Dust, with an introduction by Philip Pullman. Award-winning science writers Mary and John Gribbin reveal how the world of Pullman''s His Dark Materials trilogy (Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass) is rooted in astonishing scientific truth. Drawing on string theory and spacetime, quantum physics and chaos theory, they answer fascinating questions such as: could parallel worlds like Will''s and Lyra''s really exist? How does the subtle knife cut through anything? Could there be a bomb like the one made with Lyra''s hair? And, of course, what are the Dark Materials?

Provides an overview of the hundred-year saga of particle physics, explaining details from the basics to the research that has produced new models of the universe, among them the radical theories of "superstrings" - the hypothesis that particles are loops of vibrating "string" - and "supersymmetry."

A Gripping Account Of A Physicist Whose Speculations Could Prove As Revolutionary As Those Of Albert Einstein... It Can Be Consulted As A Clear And Authoritative Guide Through Three Decades Of Hawking S Central Contributions To Cosmology. - Bernard Dixon In The New Statesman & Society Excellent... From The Opening Pages, Which Relate The Occasion When Shirley Maclaine Sought An Audience With Her Hero In A Cambridge Restaurant, To The Final Chapter On Hollywood, Fame And Fortune , The Book Is Well-Nigh Unputdownable... [It] Ought To Be Read Alongside A Brief History Of Time As A Kind Of Explanatory Supplement. - Heather Cooper In The Times Educational Supplement Fascinating... What Makes This Book So Rewarding Is The Way That The Authors Have Blended Their Account Of Hawking S Science With That Of His Life, Giving A Picture Of A Remarkable Scientist As A Remarkable Person. - Tony Osman In The Spectator It S Compulsive Reading, Maybe Because Hawking Towers Above It All, A Complex And Fascinating Character Who Remains Strangely Elusive: Boyish Yet Indomitable, Stubborn Yet Charming, A Private Man Revelling In Fame. - Clare Francis In The Sunday Express [Their Book] Conveys How Scientific Research Is Not Just A Dry Intellectual Pursuit But An Adventure Full Of Joy, Despair And Humour, And Fraught With The Sort Of Inter-Personal Problems And Rivalries Which Mark All Human Endeavours. - Bernard Carr In The Independent On Sunday Few Scientists Become Legends In Their Own Lifetime. Stephen Hawking Is One. It Is Good To Have This Well-Documented And Immensely Readable Biography To Remind Us That The Media-Hyped Mute Genius In The Wheelchair Is In Fact A Sensitive, Humorous, Ambitious And Occasionally Wilful Human Being. - Paul Davies In The Times Higher Education Supplement

Looking back to Alan Turing''s work on the Enigma machine and the first electronic computer, and featuring a new introduction on the recent evolution of quantum computing, author John Gribbin explains how quantum theory developed to make quantum computers work in practice as well as in principle, taking us beyond the arena of theoretical physics to explore the potential for this extraordinary science.

Accessible exploration of one of the most exciting areas of scientific inquiry - the nature of light. Following on from his bestseller, SCHRODINGER''S CAT, John Gribbin presents the recent dramatic improvements in experimental techniques that have enabled physicists to formulate and test new theories about the nature of light. He describes these theories not in terms of hard-to-imagine entities like spinning subnuclear particles, but in terms of the fate of two small cats, separated at a tender age and carried to opposite ends of the universe. In this way Gribbin introduces the reader to such new developments as quantum cryptography, through which unbreakable codes can be made, and goes on to possible future developments such as the idea that the ¿entanglement'' of quantum particles could be a way to build a STAR TREK style teleportation machine.

The theory of evolution by natural selection did not spring fully formed and unprecedented from the brain of Charles Darwin. The idea of evolution had been around, in various guises, since the time of Ancient Greece. And nor did theorizing about evolution stop with what Daniel Dennett called "Darwin’s dangerous idea." In this riveting new book, bestselling science writers John and Mary Gribbin explore the history of the idea of evolution, showing how Darwin''s theory built on what went before and how it was developed in the twentieth century, through an understanding of genetics and the biochemical basis of evolution, into the so-called "modern synthesis" and beyond. Darwin deserves his recognition as the primary proponent of the idea of natural selection, but as the authors show, his contribution was one link in a chain that extends back into antiquity and is still being forged today.

Charles Darwin was the epitome of the Victorian gentleman amateur scientist, living entirely off inherited wealth and the income from his books. At the same time, however, he was the most professional scientist of his day. Darwin''s life is full of contrast. In his youth, he seemed likely to become a wastrel, yet he became a hard-working and renowned scientist. His family life in a small Kentish village was mostly idyllically happy; but the loss of his favourite daughter, Annie, brought him intense misery that lasted long after her death. Darwin shunned publicity; but he became the most famous scientist of his time, for an idea which shook the foundations of Victorian society. Even today, some people reject his idea - evolution by natural selection - without bothering to find out what Darwin said. But it is one of those great achievements of the human intellect with which everyone should be acquainted.

"From Atoms to Infinity takes you on a journey from the furthest reaches of the known Universe to the tiniest particles that make up life on Earth. May and John Gribbin explore how our telescopes can see 10 billion years into the past, and why a thimbleful of a neutron star would contain as much mass as all the people on Earth put together." -- BOOK JACKET.

In this radically revised and updated edition incorporating the latest scientific findings, acclaimed science writer and cosmologist John Gribbin explores the origins of the Universe and considers its ultimate fate.

Buddy Holly was killed at 22 when the plane he was travelling in crashed on 3 February 1959. Although this was less than two years after Holly''s first hit record, Don McLean described this as ''the day the music died.'' But Sonny Curtis, Holly''s friend and musical colleague, told us that the music didn''t die, because ''Buddy Holly lives every time you play rock''n''roll.'' Fifty years after Holly''s death, his lasting influence is clear; a musical based on his life seems set to run for longer than his lifetime and artists as diverse as Blink 182 and Bob Dylan call him an inspiration.The Beatles chose That''ll Be the Day by Buddy''s group The Crickets as their first attempt at recording, as well as taking the idea for their name. Clearly, the music didn''t die!John Gribbin, an ardent fan since he was twelve, presents this labour of love written in the spirit of Sonny Curtis'' lyric, as a celebration of Holly''s all too brief life, and as an introduction,for all those not around in 1959, to the man and his astonishing musical legacy. "Not Fade Away" also includes - uniquely - a full and detailed account of every Holly recording session, which any Buddy fan will devour.

Originally published: Get a grip on new physics. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1999.

The definitive scientific icon of the twentieth century, Albert Einstein is remember for one equation, E=mc2, and the image of a white-haired, pipe-smoking professor who didn’t wear socks. But the equation comes from a time when all of his great work was done. The real Albert Einstein – the high school drop-out who won the Nobel Prize along with the hearts of so many young women – was young, handsome, dark haired and a natty dresser. And his greatest piece of work was so poorly understood at the time that the Nobel Committee, who couldn’t understand it, but in a panic felt they ought to give him a prize for something, honoured him for something else. An introduction, afterword and clear chronological table place Einstein’s work in the context of the development of scientific knowledge.

Renowned science writers John and Mary Gribbin team up with one of the most historic scientific sites in the world--the Royal Observatory, Greenwich--to take readers on a stunning visual tour of the universe. This riveting journey moves from our home planet outwards to the Moon, Sun, Inner and Outer Solar Systems, Milky Way, and other galaxies. Not only do the Gribbins discuss the always-intriguing topic of alien life, but they divulge little-known facts (Venus is the only planet in our solar system to rotate backwards), as well as all the basics beginning armchair astronomers need to know. Dramatic four-color photographs complement the informative text, giving readers a sense of what it might be like to be an astronaut...and go where no one has gone before.

John Gribbin is one of the few science writers who is equally comfortable writing about biology as he is about physics, and this beginner''s guide will take the reader through the basics and the fundamental issues of the crucial areas of modern science, from the birth of the universe through to the evolution of our own species, the nature of human behaviour and the workings of our minds. Crucially, the book will not only provide an overview of the central areas in a single volume, but will also explain how the areas link up, what evolutionary theory has to say about how we think, how sub-atomic particles came into being in the Big Bang and atoms in stars.

The quantum computer is no longer the stuff of science fiction. Pioneering physicists are on the brink of unlocking a new quantum universe which provides a better representation of reality than our everyday experiences and common sense ever could. The birth of quantum computers - which, like Schrödinger''s famous "dead and alive" cat, rely on entities like electrons, photons, or atoms existing in two states at the same time - is set to turn the computing world on its head. In his fascinating study of this cutting-edge technology, and featuring a new introduction, John Gribbin explores the nature of quantum reality, arguing for a universe of many parallel worlds where "everything is real." Looking back to Alan Turing''s work on the Enigma machine and the first electronic computer, Gribbin explains how quantum theory developed to make quantum computers work in practice as well as in principle. He takes us beyond the arena of theoretical physics to explore their practical applications - from machines which learn through "intuition" and trial and error to unhackable laptops and smartphones. And he investigates the potential for this extraordinary science to create a world where communication occurs faster than light and teleportation is possible. This is an exciting insider''s look at the new frontier of computer science and its revolutionary implications.

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was the first scientist in the modern use of the term. Instead of relying on the works of Aristotle, he actually carried out experiments to test theories – legend has it that one of his experiments involved throwing weights off the Leaning Tower of Pisa. His astronomical observations with the telescope shattered the idea that the Earth was at the centre of the Universe, and led to his trial for heresy. He had a great lust for life, three children by a woman he never married, a biting, sarcastic with and the friendship of princes and (in spite of his run in with Pope Urban VIII) cardinals. An introduction, afterword and clear chronological table place Galileo’s work in the context of the development of scientific knowledge.

"Once the stuff of science-fiction novels, black holes, and their even stranger cosmological counterparts, white holes and worm holes, are now the subject of serious scientific inquiry. Physicists who formerly shunned these astrophysical eccentricities have begun to theorize about them and search for the physical proof of their existence with the zeal of converts. Their unavoidable conclusion of this research is that these "rips in the fabric of spacetime" are not only real, they might actually provide a passage to other universes and travel through time." "Unveiling the Edge of Time tells the fascinating story of the theories and discoveries that have led scientists to these astonishing conclusions. Here, acclaimed science writer John Gribbin tells of the scientists and the ideas behind this revolution in cosmology - from the first notions of an object so large its gravity would trap even light, to the most recent developments in the search for "naked singularities" - the center of a black hole where all known laws of physics break down. Gribbin recounts for us such dramatic stories as how Carl Sagan''s science-fiction search for a plausible method of hyperspace travel led a fellow physicist to make some of the most startling recent advances in relativity theory. Taking readers into new universes and across time itself, Gribbin provides remarkable descriptions of what it would be like for astronauts taking trips through each of these spacetime "holes" - what they would see and feel as they are drawn across "event horizons" and where they would arrive after passing through a singularity." "With a scientist''s knowledge of the facts and a writer''s gift for description, John Gribbin conveys these extraordinary ideas with both excitement and clarity. The result is an intellectual adventure that will take readers to the farthest reaches of today''s science."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

In 1972, when James Lovelock first proposed the Gaia hypothesis--the idea that the Earth is a living organism that maintains conditions suitable for life--he was ridiculed by the scientific establishment. Today Lovelock''s revolutionary insight, though still extremely controversial, is recognized as one of the most creative, provocative, and captivating scientific ideas of our time. James Lovelock tells for the first time the whole story of this maverick scientist''s life and how it served as a unique preparation for the idea of Gaia. Drawing on in-depth interviews with Lovelock himself and unprecedented access to his private papers, John and Mary Gribbin paint an intimate and fascinating portrait of a restless, uniquely gifted freethinker. In a lifetime spanning almost a century, Lovelock has followed a career path that led him from chemistry, to medicine, to engineering, to space science. He worked for the British secret service and contributed to the success of the D-Day landings in World War II. He was a medical experimenter and an accomplished inventor. And he was working with NASA on methods for finding possible life on Mars when he struck upon the idea of Gaia, conceiving of the Earth as a vast, living, self-regulating system. Deftly framed within the context of today''s mounting global-warming crisis, James Lovelock traces the intertwining trajectories of Lovelock''s life and the famous idea it brought forth, which continues to provoke passionate debate about the nature and future of life on our planet.

During the late 1920s Edwin Hubble postulate d that the universe is expanding. Gathered together in this study are photographs that concur with the theory, whilst th e authors explain for the layman the awesome implications of the Big Bang and our origin ''

"John Gribbin tells the stories of the people who have made science, and of the times in which they lived and worked. He begins with Copernicus, during the Renaissance, when science replaced mysticism as a means of explaining the workings of the world, and he continues through the centuries, creating an unbroken genealogy of not only the greatest but also the more obscure names of Western science, a dot-to-dot line linking amateur to genius, and accidental discovery to brilliant deduction. By focusing on the scientists themselves, Gribbin has written an anecdotal narrative enlivened with stories of personal drama, success and failure... The Scientists breathes new life into such venerable icons as Galileo, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Linus Pauling, as well as lesser lights whose stories have been undeservedly neglected. Filled with pioneers, visionaries, eccentrics and madmen, this is the history of science as it has never been told before."--Publisher description.

An investigation into the origin of intelligent life on Earth, includes an exploration of the nature of dark matter, the superstring theory, and the existence of other universes