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

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion centers on finding books similar to E.T. Bell's "Men of Mathematics," specifically focused on the lives of prominent physicists. Recommendations include "Schrödinger's Cat" by John Gribbin, which provides a historical overview of modern physics, and "THE WORLD OF PHYSICS" by Jefferson Hane Weaver, a comprehensive three-volume set detailing the literature of physics. Additionally, "Genius," a biography of Richard Feynman, and "On the Shoulders of Giants," edited by Stephen Hawking, are suggested for their insights into the contributions of key figures in physics.

PREREQUISITES
  • Familiarity with key physicists such as Einstein, Bohr, and Newton.
  • Understanding of the historical context of modern physics development.
  • Knowledge of biographical literature in science.
  • Awareness of major works in physics and astronomy.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research "THE WORLD OF PHYSICS" by Jefferson Hane Weaver for an extensive overview of physics literature.
  • Explore "Schrödinger's Cat" by John Gribbin for insights into modern physics history.
  • Read "Genius" to gain a deeper understanding of Richard Feynman's life and contributions.
  • Investigate "On the Shoulders of Giants," edited by Stephen Hawking, for commentary on significant works in physics.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for students, educators, and enthusiasts of physics and science history, particularly those interested in biographical accounts of influential physicists.

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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