Once Upon a Universe by Robert Gilmore, Copernicus Books, $25, ISBN 0387955666 Reviewed by Valerie Jamieson
IN Once Upon a Universe, fairy tale heroes get crash courses in quantum mechanics and cosmology from an assortment of leprechauns, giants and other oddball characters. It sounds bizarre, but Robert Gilmore’s approach works surprising well. After all, relativity and quantum mechanics seem ridiculously far-fetched even to the most hardened physicists.
While Gilmore’s tales jog along, if you’re new to cosmology you will still find some of his characters’ explanations impenetrable. Far clearer are the strait-laced asides dotted throughout the book. If you do know your cosmology, you will find…
