Perseus Academic: The Strangest Man by Graham Farmelo

Paul Adrian Maurice Dirac was one of the titans of twentieth-century physics. He predicted, purely from what he saw in his equations, the existence of antimatter. The youngest person ever to win the Nobel Prize for Physics, he was almost pathologically unable to communicate. He is said to have cried only once, when his friend Einstein died. Based on previously undiscovered archives, The Strangest Man reveals the many facets of Dirac’s brilliant, uneasy mind. Politically radical, Dirac vacationed in the Soviet Union at the height of the purges. He was legendary for his silences and his strange literal-mindedness; throughout his greatest period of productivity, his postcards home contained only remarks about the weather. Celebrating Dirac’s massive scientific achievement while drawing a compassionate portrait of his life, scientist Graham Farmelo offers thrilling sketches of Dirac’s greatest theoretical leaps and discoveries. An arresting human story, The Strangest Man also depicts one of the most exciting eras in scientific history.

Graham Farelo is senior research fellow at the Science Museum, London, and adjunct professor of physics at Northeastern University. His previous books include It Must Be Beautiful: Great Equations of Modern Science.

Graham Farmelo is senior research fellow at the Science Museum, London, and adjunct professor of physics at Northeastern University. His previous books include It Must Be Beautiful: Great Equations of Modern Science. He lives in Richmond, England.