James Gleick's groundbreaking bestseller introduces to a whole new audience the story of one of the most significant waves of scientific knowledge in our time. By focusing on the key figures whose genius converged to chart an innovative direction for science, Gleick makes the story of chaos theory not only fascinating but also accessible, and opens our eyes to a surprising new view of the universe.
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"I had read the print version of Gleick's book Genius (on Richard Feynman) which was superb. Gleick is a master of details and weaves very compelling histories of science and the people of science. My issue with the audio version is that I'm not sure the content lends itself to listening vs. close reading. The first part -- setting the stage and raising the key questions -- was great but then it's easy to get lost in the math and science without having text and charts to refer to. So, the book is excellent and the narration, but I would prefer reading it."
— Tom C (4 out of 5 stars)
“These are fascinating stories of insight and discovery, told with a keen sense of drama and excitement…Almost every paragraph contains a jolt.”
— New York Times“Taut and exciting…a fascinating illustration of how the pattern of science changes.”
— New York Times Book Review“Highly entertaining…a startling look at newly discovered universal laws.”
— Chicago Tribune“Gleick does an outstanding job of explaining the thought processes and investigative techniques that researchers bring to bear on chaos problems.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review“A ground-breaking book about what seems to be the future of physics.”
— Publishers Weekly“Chaos offers an absorbing look at trailblazers on a new scientific frontier.”
— Library Journal" So influential, on the public at large and a young, fractal enthralled me... "
— Jonathanstray, 2/17/2014" Very informative, but written to experts. If you are a novice at science (Like me) you won't get through this one fast... "
— Chrisanne, 2/15/2014" Great science book in "semi-laymens" terms. I had a blast reading this. "
— Ron, 2/4/2014" I even understood some of it. "
— Roxie, 2/1/2014" Keep in mind this is an older book published in the late 1980's and science just keeps moving along. However, with the wide ranging topics of Strange Attractors, Turbulence, Butterfly Effects, Non-Linear Systems, Uncertainty, and Fractals this book lays down a wonderful foundation into Chaos. Gleick provides a plethora of mini-bios on all the main characters in the science and steps you through the history. The book covers all of Chaos except for Get Smart. "
— Donald, 1/30/2014" I once wrote a really poor paper on chaos as an elective project for my continuous modeling math class in college. I wish I'd had this book then, because then my paper wouldn't have sucked. I really wanted to put this book down at points and go play with the math it was talking about, but usually I was reading this while commuting to work, so not the best time to do so. "
— Matt, 1/29/2014" Tough going at times, but offers a review of the great leap forward in math theory during the 70's and into the 80's. Print versions have good illustrations of fractiles, ferns, coiling smoke, etc. But not Audible, one handicap. "
— Richard, 1/22/2014" Great compilation of the events that led to discovery of a new branch of math and physics "
— Alaa, 1/18/2014" Can be avoided. Others have written better essays on such a topic (in French, though : Atlan for instance, or Prigogine). "
— Marc, 1/15/2014" realistically not as good as 'the information' "
— Freddie, 1/15/2014" a book that really got me thinking about how things relate. Also a great explanation of a complicated subject. "
— Daniel, 12/6/2013" Written by a science journalist, this is a very readable and accessable to the non-scientist. Anyone with an interest in physics or science would probably enjoy this book. You don't even have to like math! "
— Chuck, 11/6/2013" The Washington Post Book World put it very well when they said, "Chaos is a feast." I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to take their first steps into the world of order in disorder. I will definitely be revisiting this subject! "
— Connor, 10/24/2013" The prospect of finding that chaos is orderly and predictable was just to tantalizing to resist. To say that there are some things that can't be known is almost to deny a god who knows everything. He does and so can we but we clearly still have some work to do. "
— Don, 10/23/2013" In addition to 'Order out of chaos' from Ilya Prigogine, this book further gives insight into how chaos theory applies to biological systems.. Beautiful examples...simply beautiful... "
— Jeroen, 10/3/2013" cool pictures. read this when I was young and distracted. probably make more sense of it if I read it again now. "
— Dee-Ann, 4/16/2013" One of the best books on Chaos Theory. "
— Luna, 1/24/2013" That was a just astonishing title for me. In a very simple way, there is a summary of history behind the Chaos theory, fractals and systems and metohods built on them. Thisjust change my view to the architecture of world. Great. "
— Filip, 10/27/2012" Order in chaos, chaos in order. Read this book if you have a profound interest in mathematics and/or physics. "
— Oren, 8/13/2012" Mostly a historical account of the people behind Non-linear Dynamics. Not enough science. "
— Jyothis, 5/30/2012" Ever wonder what the hell that Malcom guy was talking about in Jurassic Park? This book explains Chaos Theory and does a pretty good job. "
— Anne, 2/27/2012" Not really a book I "finish", just return to from time to time. But, the date sort of places it in my reading oeuvre. "
— Lily, 2/15/2012" Geeky and mathematical while still being approachable; it tells the story of researchers of all stripes converging on a fascinating field of study while uttering those fateful, yet familiar, words "Huh, that's funnny." "
— Jason, 2/6/2012" An outstanding, easy read that delves not only into the developmental days of Chaos, but also into the difficulties faced by those early theorists. Highly recommended. "
— CobraMisfit, 1/24/2012" I really enjoyed reading this book. I was reading it while doing a 2 week internship at GKSS, which is a scientific research facility. It has a really famous particle accelerator. The two (book and internship) coincided nicely at the time. "
— ♥Xeni♥, 1/17/2012" An excellent introduction to the history of the science behind chaos. "
— Mayor, 11/13/2011" Excellent book. Really interesting perspective on the laws of nature ... I'm seeing fractals and signs of chaos everywhere now! "
— Michael, 7/22/2011" Great read. Interesting and informative. Some wonderful graphics. "
— Thomas, 5/22/2011" I even understood some of it. "
— Roxie, 5/5/2011" Found this difficult to read, although I think that's mainly because it's a difficult subject in itself. Cool pictures though. "
— Frank, 4/24/2011" He returned to his computer at 3 AM to find something AMAZING that would REVOLUTIONIZE SCIENCE! The exciting lives of scientists, misunderstood by the establishment!! "
— Bria, 4/11/2011" Not really a book I "finish", just return to from time to time. But, the date sort of places it in my reading oeuvre. "
— Lily, 4/7/2011" A good introduction to chaos, though I found it was lacking in terms of covering the actual mathematical aspects of discovery, though this was compensated for by the historical insights provided that cover the full evolution of chaos from intellectual curiosity to full discipline. "
— Josh, 4/5/2011" A fascinating look at mathematical descriptions of things that otherwise appear random or too complex to be rendered by math. "
— Dave, 3/5/2011" Interesting, popular writing on science. Chaos theory is real life. "
— Lars-göran, 2/24/2011" lucid book, full of examples.<br/><br/>"What is the length of the coastline of Europe?" "
— Pratik, 1/7/2011" Very good review to Chaos history, background and relevant people and studies at it beginnings.<br/>Recommended to anyone who wants to be introduced in Chaos and Fractals. "
— Juan, 1/6/2011James Gleick is a leading chronicler of science and technology, the bestselling author of Chaos, Genius, and The Information. His books have been translated into thirty languages. Gleick, a former reporter and editor of the New York Times, lives in New York.
Rob Shapiro is a musician, writer, voice actor, and Earphones Award–winning narrator. He performed several seasons of radio comedy on Minneapolis Public Radio and voiced the titular lion in Leo the Lion. He is a musician and composer with his critically acclaimed band Populuxe. He is also a business consultant and software system designer.