List Price: $17.95
Save: $3.99 (22%)

Only 16 left in stock (more on the way).

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

This item ships to Finland. Get it by Friday, Sept. 6 Choose this date at checkout. Learn more

Deliver to Finland

Buy Used

$9.91

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Deliver to Finland

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Charity Partners

Fulfilled by Amazon

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 2 images

Follow the Authors

Frank Wilczek

Betsy Devine

Longing for the Harmonies: Themes and Variations from Modern Physics Paperback – April 17, 1989

by Frank Wilczek (Author), Betsy Devine (Author)

12 customer reviews

See all 9 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$32.18

$28.20

$4.00

Paperback

"Please retry"

$13.96

$9.95

$1.35

"Occasionally, there comes along a popular science book that both scientists and non-scientist can read with pleasure and profit, and this is one."―The New Yorker

Devoted to sharing their own delight and awe before the fundamental mysteries of the cosmos, Frank Wilczek (winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics) and science writer Betsy Devine also have a serious purpose: to reveal to the lay reader how a heightened perception can respond to timeless themes of the physical universe. For example, they show that even the most exotic theories always confirm that physical laws are precisely the same throughout the universe, and they explain how we have learned that the most massive molten stars and the tiniest frozen particles are in physical harmony. In their descriptions of the workings of the half-known universe, Wilczek and Devine bring all of us face to face with the beauty of eternal order and the inevitability of rational ends and beginnings.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An uncommon and uncommonly good exposition of contemporary quantum physics. -- Kirkus Reviews

Intelligent non-specialists can only applaud the breadth and clarity of this synthesis. -- Booklist

[A]charming, literate account of advances in physics. -- David Perlman, New York Times Book Review

About the Author

Frank Wilczek is a theoretical physicist. He has won many awards for his contributions to physics, including the 2004 Nobel Prize, and also for his writing. He is currently Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics at MIT.

Betsy Devine writes about science and humor.

Paperback: 378 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Revised edition (April 17, 1989)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0393305961
ISBN-13: 978-0393305968
Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.2 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 12 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,082,464 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1777 in Astrophysics & Space Science (Books)
- #445 in Songwriting

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

Be the first video

Your name here

12 customer reviews

Review this product

Write a customer review

Showing 1-8 of 12 reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Thomas H.

Terrific exposition of deep physical concepts with fun and heart!

December 7, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The only reason I took off one star is content is a bit dated, so book could use an update. It's clear, for example this was written before it was discovered that the universe's expansion is accelerating.

Otherwise authors' love of the topic is infectious!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

Erik Weitnauer

The deepness at which the actual physics are described is perfect -- the authors convey important aspects of difficult topics ..

February 16, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The book provides a fanscinating perspective on various fields of physics, exploring the motivations of the people behind the big discoveries. The deepness at which the actual physics are described is perfect -- the authors convey important aspects of difficult topics like quantum physics in an effortless way, allowing the reader to gain insights without getting stuck on the complex details.

I'd highly recommend this for scientists and causual reader for a great perspective on the history and elegance behind science & physics.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

the mechanism of the standard model clearly explained by a Nobel Prize winner

May 30, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Finding this book and it's " sequel ", The Lightness of Being, have proved , for me, the Rosetta stone of understanding how the interactions of the elemental forces of nature combine to constitute the world of matter, which we inhabit. I have read many layman level books and virtually all the physics articles in Scientific American for years, without the clarity and precision that Frank Wilzcek can bring together in just a few dozen pages. As Lecter said, " Save yourself " . In this case, save a lot of reading time and just get, Longing for the Harmonies and The Lightness of Being, and you will thank your lucky stars.

Part of what Freeman Dyson said about Frank Wilczek is " ...that he writes...with a lightness that can come only come to one who is absolute master of his subject."

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

Doost

6 Start

March 30, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Mesmerizing scientific topics with clear writing and precision descriptions. A favorite book in my collection.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

chung hsieh

Five Stars

August 27, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

excellent!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

P. Marino

Great for promoting interest in Physics

April 15, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book is great for promoting interest in Physics. I still have not found a good book for children, but this is good for young people and adults.
A cheap but excellent gift!!

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

John Poet

LONGING FOR [ SOME CLARITY ] ON THE HARMONIES

July 3, 2012

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

What? You can't wrap your mind around the Higgs boson? This book will not just clarify the issue -- it will open your mind to dimensions of symmetry that authenticate the search for these hypothetical wave packets [ there never were particles ].
The man is a gifted writer -- as well as a gifted scientist. Read his other book, too.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

R. MacKenzie

A good time will be had by all.

February 1, 2005

Format: Paperback

Longing for the Harmonies is subtitled "Themes and variations from modern physics". I would have added "and beyond": I doubt there's another popularization of quantum mechanics and particle physics that also touches upon Keats, ancient Babylon and child psychology, to name but a few.

The book actually strikes me as two intertwined books. First, there are the "preludes" which are thought-provoking excursions here, there and everywhere. At times they seem quite off the wall and impossibly far from fundamental physics, but they always whet the appetite for what's to come, a bit like (to use the musical analogy which is the book's main metaphor) a solo which seems out of place until it ties back into the main body of the song.

Second, the "main body" of the book, although also laden with references and analogies from far and wide, exposes and (in so far as is possible!) demystifies quantum mechanics and fundamental physics in all its glory, both the large (cosmology and astrophysics) and the small (atoms and subatomic particles). The two domains, of course, are intimately related: the early Universe, devoid of complicated structures such as planets, stars and human beings, was a soup of elementary particles, and its evolution (and, perhaps, birth) was dictated by rules of the game established by particle physics.

A review wouldn't be a review without at least a minor complaint; not an easy task with this book, but here is mine: the table of contents strikes me as a bit too cryptic. Chapter headings such as "Inevitability" or "Radical uniformity in microcosm" do little to explain what the chapter is about; more straightforward headings would probably help guide the reader through the grand tour they are on and help them get a sense of perspective of how the different subject inter-relate. Fortunately, the remaining three hundred-odd pages of the book are packed with enjoyable reading.

Among the many, many gems in the book are a musical analogy of why particle physics doesn't obviate all of macroscopic physics, the "lave" concept (a combination of "lump" and "wave" descrbing the dual nature of matter), and a personal account of the discovery of a cornerstone of the interaction between quarks and gluons known as asymptotic freedom (for which one of the authors was co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in physics last year). But open the book just about anywhere and it's a good bet that you will find a fascinating take on something -- whether from particle physics or beyond. Give it a whirl!

22 people found this helpful

Helpful

Comment

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway

This item: Longing for the Harmonies: Themes and Variations from Modern Physics

Set up a giveaway

Pages with related products. See and discover other items: harmony music, modern physics books

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	Amazon Advertising Find, attract, and engage customers	Amazon Drive Cloud storage from Amazon	6pm Score deals on fashion brands	AbeBooks Books, art & collectibles	ACX Audiobook Publishing Made Easy

Alexa Actionable Analytics for the Web	Sell on Amazon Start a Selling Account	Amazon Business Everything For Your Business	AmazonGlobal Ship Orders Internationally	Home Services Handpicked Pros Happiness Guarantee	Amazon Inspire Digital Educational Resources

Amazon Rapids Fun stories for kids on the go	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services	Audible Listen to Books & Original Audio Performances	Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide	Box Office Mojo Find Movie Box Office Data	ComiXology Thousands of Digital Comics

CreateSpace Indie Print Publishing Made Easy	DPReview Digital Photography	East Dane Designer Men's Fashion	Fabric Sewing, Quilting & Knitting	Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities

IMDbPro Get Info Entertainment Professionals Need	Kindle Direct Publishing Indie Digital Publishing Made Easy	Prime Video Direct Video Distribution Made Easy	Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands	Woot! Deals and Shenanigans	Zappos Shoes & Clothing

Ring Smart Home Security Systems	eero WiFi Stream 4K Video in Every Room	Neighbors App Real-Time Crime & Safety Alerts	Subscribe with Amazon Discover & try subscription services	PillPack Pharmacy Simplified	Amazon Second Chance Pass it on, trade it in, give it a second life

Buy New

$13.96