Almost anybody who has taken even a single course in Physics at High School level would have come across Neils Bohr name in what is known as Bohr's Model of the Atom. But that model hardly gives a clue to the genius of Bohr - what seems simple and evident to us now was a great leap of human understanding. And this book helps us appreciate that.

One senses an almost reverential tone in the way the book has been written. It would have taken away from the book except that the facts are lucidly and logically stated. Even the opinions voiced by many of Bohr's colleagues are put in proper context. All in all one gets the feeling of a well thought out and well-researched book.

This book has really opened my eyes to Gorm. The concepts dicussed (the movement of particles through Gorm) are extremely interesting (dare I say arousing..?) and it generally turned me on. GO Jens, GO Gorm, GO GO GO Anders Kohl!

Captivating biography! One of the best. In a class by itself!
Written before the popular Broadway play, "Copenhagen" by Michael Frayn, Pais' book covers the Heisenberg-Bohr meeting in 1941[the real one],--- and there is a lot more! We are fortunate that Pais has given us this, and several other wonderful biographies;-- the one about Albert Einstein stands out! It is especially fortunate that he has chosen to write for the general public. I can't think of anyone who did, or possibly could have done it better. His writing is captivating, and unique in its recreation of the times, and the social context of the scientific events. Pais further succeeds magnificently in bringing to life the many colorful personalities. This includes the young physicists born in Europe around 1900 who arrived in Copenhagen in the 1920ties to work with Bohr, some later to win the Nobel Prize,-- how he became a father figure to some of them,- Heisenberg, for example. And there are the other players,

Albert Einstein early on, and Pais himself later, in the drama of quantum physics of the Twentieth Century. Even if you might perhaps not be scientifically inclined, and if you choose to skip the physics sections, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Historical description of the development of nuclear and quantum physics, especially from the viewpoint of Bohr and colleagues, many who Pais worked with. Provides a non-technical description of many of the principles of modern physics.

I bought this book for my Dad and he loved it ..... BUT he's a retired scientist with an interest in and basic knowledge of quantum mechanics. He particularly enjoyed the explanations of this very weird branch of physics. As an example of the type of reader who may enjoy this - he's the only person I know who has read "A Brief History of Time" cover to cover.

This biography recalls the entire life of Niels Bohr, one of the preeminent scientists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; the author even likens his influence to Aristotle's. Though focusing primarily on his scientific life, the book traces his life from his promising beginnings in Denmark until his death in 1962. Also included is the author's assertion that Bohr was nearly able to halt the nuclear Arms race that spawned the Cold War. Other notables that are mentioned in conjunction with Bohr include: James Franck, Lord Rutherford, Werner Heisenberg, Enrico Fermi, Sir John Cockcroft, Ernest Lawrence, and Adlai Stevenson.

This book is not for scientists or laypeople interested in science. It falls into that field of science history where only the other 3 historians in the field will be forced to read. The most informative part of the book are the figures. (i.e, the data is not tarnished by trite, and insightless garble). Perhaps better entitled "Writing Quantum Foam."

I have found this to be an extremely helpful book due to my interests in physics. It is an interesting philosophical taint on a subject matter which is mostly fought in obscure mathematics. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in quantum physics philosophies.

This book is an excellent introduction, summary of and history of the debate on interpretation of quantum theory, a subject which demands careful reading. As such, it may be read to profit by those interested in some of the twists and turns of "received opinion". It is not for those who might like their pages covered in equations (- the text discusses J S Bell's elucidation of Von Neumann's errors on the subject of hidden variable theories - a clear case where the mathematics concealed rather than revealed). The book is widely referenced which should have enough range of material to satisfy and extend readers at all levels. In my top ten on the subject area.

This is a collection of seven lectures by Niels H. D. Bohr, selected by his son Aage Bohr. The essays are about atomic physics challenges (by that time: 1950's), relation between Physics and other sciences and quantum theory philosophical implications. The papers are quite formal, so you rather like Bohr himself and his ideas and should not look this book as a source of information on quantum mechanics (in fact you should have already read something about this subject). If you're interested in Niels Bohr and his ideas and also on the thoughts of physicists by that time this book is a nice reference and can be useful, specially the essay of Bohr and Einstein discussing determinism on quantum theory and the future of the wave equation theory.