Empire of Light: A History of Discovery in Science and Art (Compass Series) [Paperback]

Sidney Perkowitz (Author), A Joseph Henry Press book (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0309065569 | ISBN-13: 978-0309065566 | Publication Date: November 20, 1998

In "Empire of Light", Sidney Perkowitz combines the expertise of a physicist with the vision of an art connoisseur and the skill of an accomplished writer to offer a unique view of the most fundamental feature of the universe: light. "Empire of Light" discusses the nature of light, how the eye sees, and how our understanding of these phenomena have emerged over the ages, including the role of light in the development of quantum physics. The author examines the making of electrical light and its integration into commerce, telecommunications, entertainment, medicine, warfare, and every other aspect of our daily lives. And he presents the role of light in the search for the beginning and the end of the universe, as astronomers with their instruments penetrate ever deeper into the sky. Visible light spans the spectrum between infrared and ultraviolet, but this book reaches across many other spectra as well - from the cave paintings at Lascaux to Mark Rothko's stark blocks of color in today's art museums, from Plato's speculation that the eye sends out rays to Ramon y Cajal's discovery that vision actually works in the opposite way, from Tycho Brahe's elegant antetelescope measurements of planet positions to the Hubble telescope's exquisite sensitivity to light from billions of light years away. What are the biological and neurological processes of perceiving visible light? How does a person typically scan a scene? Do you see red or blue the same way I do? What are our physiological reactions and emotional responses to light? Perkowitz explores these and many other fascinating questions, drawing together the experiences, achievements, and perspectives of a diverse cast of characters, including Galileo, Einstein, Newton, Van Gogh, and Edison. "Empire of Light" is written so that lay readers will readily grasp the scientific principles and science professionals will readily appreciate the human experience. It will impart new wonder to the daily experience of light in our world. Sidney Perkowitz is the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Physics at Emory University. His work has appeared in national publications such as "The Sciences", "The Washington Post", "The Los Angeles Times", "The American Prospect", and "Technology Review".

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Light is fundamental. Photons, massless particles, live forever, never coalescing into bigger units as do protons and electrons. The human eye's retina is a light-sensitive outgrowth of the brain. Infrared light is linked to cosmic background radiation, the most compelling evidence that the Big Bang occurred billions of years ago. In a wondrous, mind-expanding tour of the visible world, Perkowitz, a physics professor at Emory University in Georgia, gracefully weaves science and aesthetics as he discusses the role of light in medical technology and warfare; the laws of light that underlay the telescopes and microscopes of Galileo, Newton, Anton van Leeuwenhoek; light as a determinant of the shape of the universe in Einstein's relativity; and the expressive use of light by artists such as van Gogh, Edward Hopper, Degas, Dan Flavin and James Turrell. Along with charting the history of lighting from Phoenician wax candles to lasers, he takes us inside the Brookhaven National Laboratory's National Synchrotron Light Source in Long Island, New York, a football-field-size device using which he ran experiments to determine the properties of superconductors.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In this history of light, Perkowitz, a condensed-matter physicist (Emory Univ.), uses the term in the broad scientific sense of the full electromagnetic spectrum, but much of his discussion focuses on its visible portion. He traces humanity's understanding of light from both scientific and artistic viewpoints. Later portions of his text deal with light in contemporary physics research and in astronomy and cosmology. This well-written, well-rounded work will be accessible to educated lay readers, with comments on some artists' use of light adding a pleasant touch not usually found in popularizations by professional scientists. The historical portions are generally, accurate, with just the occasional minor lapse. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.?Jack W. Weigel, Univ. of Michigan Lib., Ann Arbor
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Joseph Henry Press (November 20, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0309065569
• ISBN-13: 978-0309065566
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,465,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK IS A WONDERFUL LITTLE RAY OF LIGHT, November 24, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Empire of Light: A History of Discovery in Science and Art (Hardcover)

Sidney Perkowitz has blended the arts and the sciences in a wonderful little book. His explanations on the current state of knowledge about the nature of light are extremely simple .. for a very difficult and still not understood subject. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in the wonderful world of the photon (or is it wave ?) , and how we perceive it

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Combining Physics,Light, Art and Advanced Technology, September 18, 2000

By 

Alice Leitner (Atlanta, Ga) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Empire of Light: A History of Discovery in Science and Art (Hardcover)

Dr. Sidney Perkowitz covers, in a very personal way, his own experiences about light, art and almost every bit of knowledge about the universe, in "The Empire of Light". The art collection samples chosen by Perkowitz, enlighten our lives and give us a more powerful perspective on viewing art henceforth. This physics volume compares favorably with a thrilling science fiction story, except that this is all for real, as far as scientists can tell at this point in time. This reading was a fum romp through today's world of physics.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting if somewhat lightweight, January 31, 2002

By 

Kevin W. Parker (Greenbelt, MD) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Empire of Light: A History of Discovery in Science and Art (Compass Series) (Paperback)

I picked this one up at the science writing seminar a couple of months ago. It is an attempt to cover an elusive but scientific topic, light, in all its concepts and permutations. He goes from classical notions of light (the Greeks thought invisible rays from our eyes made things visible) to the modern, quantum theory of light. He covers the creation of light, from torches and candles to gas lights to electric to lasers. He touches briefly on why things have colors (too brief for my taste, actually - I would have liked to learn more). He shows how light has been depicted in art, with examples from sources as diverse as Edward Hopper, Vincent van Gogh, and M. C. Escher. It makes for an interesting if somewhat lightweight overview - well worth reading and well-written.