Boltzmann's Atom

Boltzmann's Atom is a captivating historical account of Ludwig Boltzmann, a forgotten genius who battled for forty years for acceptance of the atomic theory of matter and a new way of doing physics. The book provides a window on the civilized world that gave birth to our scientific era, and Ludwig Boltzmann emerges as an endearingly quixotic character who muddled through practical matters of life in a European gilded age. David Lindley's elegant telling of this tale combines the detailed breadth of the best history, the beauty of theoretical physics, and the psychological insight belonging to the finest of novels.