It has been a long time since a review in the Book Review actually made me want to go out and buy a book with a topic way outside my conventional sphere of interests.
But a review of the newly published "The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Mystic of the Atom" (Basic Books), made me want to do just that. I had never heard of Dirac, and so it was a pleasure to be introduced to him and to want to learn more.
The review is by Louisa Gilder, and it is perceptively -- even movingly -- written. She was clearly inspired to match the way the book made her feel.
We're going to review the book once we're done with it, but read this great review, and get "The Strangest Man" if you feel you want to know more about the mystical Paul Dirac.
Here's the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/books/review/Gilder-t.html?_r=1&ref=books
-- LT
