Light : a radiant history from creation to the quantum age
Watson, Bruce, 1953-2016
Books, Manuscripts
'Light' begins at Stonehenge, where crowds cheer a solstice sunrise. After sampling myths explaining First Light, the story moves on to early philosophers' queries, then through the centuries, from Buddhist temples to Biblical scripture, when light was the soul of the divine. Battling darkness and despair, Gothic architects crafted radiant cathedrals while Dante dreamed a 'heaven of pure light.' Later, following Leonardo's advice, Renaissance artists learned to capture light on canvas. During the Scientific Revolution, Galileo gathered light in his telescope, Descartes measured the rainbow, and Newton used prisms to solidify the science of optics. But even after Newton, light was an enigma. Particle or wave? Did it flow through an invisible 'ether'? Through the age of Edison and into the age of lasers, 'Light' reveals how light sparked new wonders.
Main title:
Light : a radiant history from creation to the quantum age / Bruce Watson.
Author:
Watson, Bruce, 1953-, author
Imprint:
New York : Bloomsbury, 2016.
Collation:
xiv, 282 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (black and white, and colour) ; 25 cm
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:
9781620405598 (hbk)
Dewey class:
535
LC class:
QC358.5
Language:
English
BRN:
1374426
More Information: