Empire of Light

by Sidney Perkowitz and a Joseph Henry Press book

Book Overview

In Empire of Light , Sidney Perkowitz combines the expertise of a physicist with the vision of an art connoisseur and the skill of an accomplished writer to offer a unique view of the most fundamental... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805032118
• ISBN13: 9780805032116
• Release Date: September 1996
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
• Length: 227 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Interesting if somewhat lightweight

I picked this one up at the science writing seminar a couple of months ago. It is an attempt to cover an elusive but scientific topic, light, in all its concepts and permutations. He goes from classical notions of light (the Greeks thought invisible rays from our eyes made things visible) to the modern, quantum theory of light. He covers the creation of light, from torches and candles to gas lights to electric to lasers. He touches briefly on why things have colors (too brief for my taste, actually - I would have liked to learn more). He shows how light has been depicted in art, with examples from sources as diverse as Edward Hopper, Vincent van Gogh, and M. C. Escher. It makes for an interesting if somewhat lightweight overview - well worth reading and well-written.

Combining Physics,Light, Art and Advanced Technology

Dr. Sidney Perkowitz covers, in a very personal way, his own experiences about light, art and almost every bit of knowledge about the universe, in "The Empire of Light". The art collection samples chosen by Perkowitz, enlighten our lives and give us a more powerful perspective on viewing art henceforth. This physics volume compares favorably with a thrilling science fiction story, except that this is all for real, as far as scientists can tell at this point in time. This reading was a fum romp through today's world of physics.

Great Book!

Empire of Light : A History of Discovery in Science and Art, is very understandable but at the same time deeply informative and interesting. Extremely well researched and packed with loads of info. I learned something new on every page.

THIS BOOK IS A WONDERFUL LITTLE RAY OF LIGHT

Sidney Perkowitz has blended the arts and the sciences in a wonderful little book. His explanations on the current state of knowledge about the nature of light are extremely simple .. for a very difficult and still not understood subject. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in the wonderful world of the photon (or is it wave ?) , and how we perceive it