Elusive: How Peter Higgs Solved the Mystery of Mass

8vo, hardcover in dj, pp.297. "A clear and vivid account of a major scientific breakthrough."-New York Times Book Review "In Elusive, Mr. Higgsís friend and colleague Frank Close offers a sympathetic biography of the ìshy, modestî man and famous particle." -Wall Street Journal ìMr Close is among todayís best writers on the history of quantum mechanics and its associated field theories, and his book is more a biography of the boson than of the manÖ. The account of the decades-long search for the boson is one of the best parts of ElusiveÖ. a pacey insiderís story of the ups, downs and international politics of building cathedral-sized, cutting-edge scientific machines that cost billions of dollars in public moneyóand have no immediate benefit beyond curiosity."-The Economist ìa breezy yet informative book that entwines the story of Higgsís life with that of the construction of the grand theoretical edifice known as the standard model of elementary particle physicsÖClose has a dazzling ability to condense complex ideas into accessible metaphorsÖ.Elusive shows how the story of a physicistís life, told right, can reveal much about living as a physicist.î-Robert P. Crease, Nature ìElusive is a timely and in-depth narrativeÖa scrumptious mealî-Achintya Rao, Physics World ìnotable for its moderation and objectivityÖ[a] vivid account.î-Simon Mitton, Science ìAn expert examination.Close, a science writer, Higgs colleague, and professor of physics at Oxford, illuminates Higgsí personal and professional life.î-Kirkus ìA perfect marriage of subject and writer. With verve, insight, and rigor, Frank Close beautifully illuminates the life and times of one of physicsí great, unheralded giants. Elusive is a triumph of a book, and one worthy of its subjectís extraordinary contributions.î -Jimmy Soni, bestselling author of The Founders ìElusive is both a deep, exciting intellectual history and an elegantly told portrait of a quiet man whose ìone great ideaî changed modern physics forever. Close marries the exotic details of contemporary particle physics theory with the very human aspects of how that theory came to be. An enlightening read from one of our very best writers and practitioners of physics.î-David N. Schwartz, author of The Last Man Who Knew Everything ìRich, compelling, and surprising. Fundamental physics can be equal parts awe-inspiring and head-spinning, and Frank Close masterfully captures those qualities in this deeply satisfying tale of Peter Higgs's convoluted, and very human, journey through life and science.î -Caleb Scharf, author of The Ascent of Information