Is There a Men of Physics Book Similar to Men of Mathematics?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the search for a book that profiles prominent physicists, similar to E.T. Bell's "Men of Mathematics," which details the lives and contributions of mathematicians. Participants explore various titles that may serve this purpose, focusing on biographies and historical accounts of physicists.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about a "Men of Physics" book that discusses notable physicists like Einstein and Bohr.
  • Another suggests "Schrödinger's Cat" by John Gribbin, noting it provides a history of modern physics rather than direct biographies.
  • A participant agrees that "Schrödinger's Cat" is a valuable read but expresses confusion about its title relevance.
  • "Quantum Physicists" by William H. Cropper is mentioned as containing good technical explanations.
  • A later reply recommends "THE WORLD OF PHYSICS" by Jefferson Hane Weaver, highlighting its extensive biographical content across three volumes.
  • Another participant mentions "Genius," a book about Feynman, which has received positive feedback.
  • One participant is currently reading "On the Shoulders of Giants," edited by Stephen Hawking, which features major works of historical physicists.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants share various book recommendations, but there is no consensus on a single title that perfectly matches the inquiry for a "Men of Physics" book. Multiple competing views and suggestions remain present.

Contextual Notes

Some recommendations focus on historical accounts rather than direct biographies, and the relevance of titles to the original inquiry is questioned by participants.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in biographies of physicists, the history of physics, or those seeking recommendations for related literature.

suffian
I'm coming towards the close of a good (yet dated) book: Men of Mathematics, by E.T. Bell. For those of you who haven't read it, the book gives a detailed accounts of the lives up the many recent greatest mathematicians and also touches upon the work they did.

Is there a book that would be akin to Bell's but for physics instead? A "Men of Physics" per se that discusses the lives of men like Einstein, Bohr, Thompson, etc.
 
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Give Schrödinger's Cat
by John Gribin a try. While it is not specifically a biography of Physicists it is a very good history of the development of modern physics and who did what.
 
i have got to agree, that is probably the best book about the history of physics I've read.
(dont understand the relevence of the title though):wink:
 
Quantum Physicists

by William H. Cropper. Has many good technical explanations in it.
 
Last edited:
Originally posted by suffian
I'm coming towards the close of a good (yet dated) book: Men of Mathematics, by E.T. Bell. For those of you who haven't read it, the book gives a detailed accounts of the lives up the many recent greatest mathematicians and also touches upon the work they did.

Is there a book that would be akin to Bell's but for physics instead? A "Men of Physics" per se that discusses the lives of men like Einstein, Bohr, Thompson, etc.

Hi suffian,
You would be highly pleased with the strongly biographical nearly 3000 page treatment (three volumes) by Jefferson Hane Weaver and titled: "THE WORLD OF PHYSICS" subtitled "A Small Library of the Literature of Physics from Antiquity to the Present". Look for it at your public, school,or College Library. I found my set of these tomes on ebay for 30 or so bucks; they were beautifully new except for quite slight high-lighting. I consider this set more valuable to me than my 3 volume set of Feynman's notes. Cheers, Jim
 
Thx! I checked out amazon and these all look like great books, I can't wait to dive in.
 
There's a book about Feynman called Genius. I haven't read it, but I've heard good things about it.
 
I'm in the middle of "On the Shoulders of Giants" right now.

Subtitle: "The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy" "Edited, with commentary, by Stephen Hawking)

Features the major works of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, and Einstein.


It's worth checking out at your local library.
 

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