From Galileo to Gell-Mann

A beautifully produced book about the wonder that inspired the greatest scientists of all time, drawing on the writings of over 100 people. The authors have done a great service in bringing all this material together, sometimes from obscure sources. They group the writings, accompanied by an interconnecting commentary, under seven major headings: wonder, observation, experiment, discovery, certainty, sign and purpose. Each of these in turn is explored in relation to particular themes such as wonder and beauty, experiment and attention, certainty and limits, purpose and responsibility. The book is literally a goldmine of reflections and insights and can be opened at more or less any page or read more systematically.