Dance for Two, Selected Essays - Softcover

Lightman, Alan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0747529213 ISBN 13: 9780747529217

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing, 1996

Synopsis

A collection of fascinating essays on popular science by the author of Einstein's Dreams

From the dependence of a ballerina on the laws of physics to the choice every scientist makes between tinkering and theorizing; from the unscientific nature of discovery to the mystery of human flight without propellers and the impulse behind the unprompted smile: in Dance for Two Alan Lightman offers readers a look into the creative compulsions shared by the scientist and the artist, and a glimpse as well into his own imagination.

A classic collection of essays from one of the foremost popular science writers of his generation.

About this title

About the Author

Alan Lightman is the author of six novels, including Einstein's Dreams, which was an international bestseller, and The Diagnosis, which was a finalist for the National Book Award. He is also the author of three collections of essays and several books on science. His latest work is the memoir of his family, Screening Room. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Granta, Harper's, The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, and Nature, among other publications. Since beginning his career as a theoretical physicist, Lightman has taught at Harvard and at MIT, where he was the first person to receive a dual faculty appointment in science and in the humanities. He lives in the Boston area.

Synopsis

This is a collection of essays which display the author's talent for bringing literary and scientific concerns into harmony. These meditations touch upon both the ethereal and the corporeal: the dependence of a ballerina on the laws of physics; the chice every scientist makes between tinkering and theorizing; the unscientific nature of discovery; the mystery of human flight without propellers; and the impulse behind the unprompted smile. In "Dance for Two", Alan Lightman offers readers a look into the creative complusions shared by the scientist and the artist, and a glimpse as well into his own imagination. Alan Lightman is the author of "Einstein's Dreams".

Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0747529213
• ISBN 13: 9780747529217
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 180