Recommend coffee table books

In summary, several "coffee table" books on physics and mathematics were recommended, including "Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture," "Euclid's Window," "Fermat's Enigma" by Simon Singh, "Physics in the 20th Century" by Curt Suplee, and "The Snowflake: Winter's Secret Beauty" by Kenneth Libbrecht. Other suggestions included "Fermat's Last Theorem" by Simon Singh, "Codes" by Simon Singh, books by John Gribbin and George Gamov, "QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter" by Richard Feynman, "Physics of Star Trek" and "Quintessence" by Lawrence Krauss
  • #1
TheShapeOfTime
Recommend "coffee table" books

Could anyone recommend some good physics and mathematics "coffee table" books (ie. some "must reads".) I'm talking along the lines of "Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture" and "Euclid's Window".
 
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  • #2
Well, Simon Singh's "Fermat's last theorem" is great, I also liked his "Codes" book.
 
  • #3
Any and all of John Gribbins books also George Gamov is intertaining.
 
  • #4
arildno said:
Well, Simon Singh's "Fermat's last theorem" is great
If you read this book, be prepared to spend every waking moment of the next few months searching for a "better, simpler" proof until finally deciding you've worked out the major steps and you'll "iron out the details later". Or was that just me? :rolleyes:
Richard Feynman's "QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter" was enlightening and is "coffee table"-appropriate. Learn from the masters, as they say.
Edit: Actually, the book I have is called "Fermat's Engima" by the same author. Google tells me the UK edition was called "Fermat's Last Theorem", but they're the same book.
 
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  • #5
Whoa!

You people have a very interesting concept of what a "coffee table" book is. I thought coffee table book are large, heavy, lots-of-picture books that people can browse through during a rather short amount of time?

In any case, my physics coffee table book is "Physics in the 20th Century" by Curt Suplee. It was produced in cooporation with the American Physical Society and the American Institute of Physics, in conjuction with the APS's 100'th Anniversary in 1999. The book first appeared at the APS March Meeting in Atlanta that year to celebrate tha centenial. I think 12,000 people showed up, making it the largest ever conglomeration of scientists in the history of human civilization.

Zz.
 
  • #6
Zz,

I have traditionally called a coffee table physics book, anything that someone can read in week, which then makes them an expert in Relativity and/or QM. Of course lots of pictures does not impede this laborious line of study.
 
  • #8
Lawrence Krauss has written a few good books that qualify as coffee table literature. "The Physics of Star Trek" and "Quintessence" come to mind.
 
  • #9
ZapperZ said:
You people have a very interesting concept of what a "coffee table" book is. I thought coffee table book are large, heavy, lots-of-picture books that people can browse through during a rather short amount of time?
Oh, like a dictionary? Okay, Kenneth Libbrecht's "The Snowflake: Winter's Secret Beauty".
 
  • #10
ZapperZ said:
Whoa!

You people have a very interesting concept of what a "coffee table" book is. I thought coffee table book are large, heavy, lots-of-picture books that people can browse through during a rather short amount of time?
Zz.
Well, not all of us have coffee tables made of mahogany.
Some of us must cope with a rather more fragile construction.
 
  • #11
The Elegant Universe
or fabric of the cosmos
Brian Greene
 
  • #12
Thanks for all your recommendations. I can add some of these books to my christmas list :-).
 

1. What are coffee table books?

Coffee table books are large, visually appealing books that are typically displayed on coffee tables or other prominent surfaces in a home or office. They often contain high-quality photographs or illustrations and cover a wide range of topics such as art, photography, travel, fashion, and history.

2. Why are they called coffee table books?

Coffee table books are called so because they are typically placed on coffee tables, as it is a central and easily accessible location in a room. They are meant to be casually flipped through by guests or for personal enjoyment during moments of relaxation, such as while sipping coffee.

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The main difference between coffee table books and regular books is their purpose and design. Coffee table books are meant to be displayed and enjoyed visually, while regular books are primarily meant for reading. Coffee table books also tend to have larger dimensions and thicker, glossy pages.

5. Are coffee table books expensive?

The cost of coffee table books can vary greatly depending on factors such as the topic, size, and quality of the book. Some coffee table books can be quite expensive, while others are more affordable. However, they can also make for great gifts and can often be found on sale or at discounted prices.

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