QuantumQuantum
Score Modern
What it's about
Manjit Kumar tells the story of the greatest revolution in modern science, quantum physics, through the famous debate between Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr about the nature of reality, and the brilliant physicists around them.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Baillie Gifford Prize finalist. It makes difficult physics understandable through the people behind it.
You'll love it if you liked
The Elegant Universe
A Brief History of Time
Einstein: His Life and UniverseGood to know
It's science history more than a physics textbook, but some chapters are demanding.
By the numbers
- Readers84 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics24 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller5 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #66 of the 119 science and ideas books we rank
- #145 of the 198 history books we rank
- #608 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1152 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Thought-provoking
If you like this, read next
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
BarrayarExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Quantum worth reading?
Yes. It was a Baillie Gifford Prize finalist. It ranks #1,152 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 71.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Quantum about?
Manjit Kumar tells the story of the greatest revolution in modern science, quantum physics, through the famous debate between Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr about the nature of reality, and the brilliant physicists around them.
How long does it take to read Quantum?
About 11 hours (432 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Quantum?
If you liked it, try The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene, A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking or Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson.