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The Elegant Universe

4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 · rating details · 26,349 ratings · 1,032 reviews

A fascinating and thought-provoking journey through the mysteries of space, time, and matter.

With a new preface (not in any other edition) that will review the enormous public reception of the relatively obscure string theory—made possible by this book and an increased number of adherents amongst physicists—The Elegant Universe "sets a standard that will be hard to beat" (

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Published (first published 1999)

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Sep 08, 2011 Manny rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science

[Original review, written December 2008]

When I read this book, I remember thinking it was pretty interesting, but I am surprised how few insights I have retained... to be honest, hardly any. Smolin's The Trouble with Physics, which I read much more recently, suggests that string theory is in big trouble, and right now I am more tempted to side with Smolin.

There's this old Nasrudin story, where he's somehow ended up as judge in a court case. The D.A. really makes a good case, and Nasrudin can't r...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Marvin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, kindle

Do I understand string theory? Not sure.

Do I understand M theory? A little bit but don't ask for any algebraic reasoning.

Do I know exactly what a Calabi-Yau is? Not really but I think they look a little like the hair balls from my cat.

This is the second time I've equated quantum physics and all its detours to a hair-ball. That's because I can study a hair ball and still have no idea what it is for and why they exist. String Theory and the elusive TOE is in the same category. I could go on my en...more

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Jun 27, 2011 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Greene's eminently readable attempt to explain the possibilities for string/superstrings to provide the linchpin for the long-awaited-and-desired merger of gravity with the two nuclear and electromagnetic forces into a Grand United Theory. Frankly, the entire idea of rolled up dimensions—of a universe containing perhaps ten, twelve, eighteen dimensions, of which we are only capable of perceiving four—is suitably mind-blowing and humbling at the same time; and although Greene's low-culture themed...more Greene's eminently readable attempt to explain the possibilities for string/superstrings to provide the linchpin for the long-awaited-and-desired merger of gravity with the two nuclear and electromagnetic forces into a Grand United Theory. Frankly, the entire idea of rolled up dimensions—of a universe containing perhaps ten, twelve, eighteen dimensions, of which we are only capable of perceiving four—is suitably mind-blowing and humbling at the same time; and although Greene's low-culture themed analogies that frequently pop-up to help elucidate the complex concepts he is trying to convey may irritate at times, he does a bang-up job in making it understandable without blotting the outlines in thick physiquese or mathematics. Surfer-Dude physicist Garrett Lisi submitted an Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything based upon the stunningly beautiful symmetry of Lie Groups as an alternative to String Theory a couple of years after the publication of Greene's follow-up The Fabric of the Cosmos ; it will be interesting to see how Lisi's proposal affects the future of string/superstring theory as the most likely path towards that elusive group-wedding of the four forces. I believe that several physicists have now concluded that Lisi's theory doesn't hold up, but I'm intrigued by the rumblings I've encountered by others who consider string theory to be a corridor that is proving of a confining narrowness, one that has consumed a disproportionate amount of the energy from some of the top minds in this field in pursuit of a theory that more and more appears irreconcilably inelegant and complex for the unifying end that it is meant to achieve. I have some potentially stunning books on the shelf awaiting my attention—in particular, Lisa Randall's Warped Passages , Michio Kaku's Hyperspace , Michael Fayer's Absolutely Small , and Lee Smolin's The Trouble With Physics —all of which I have unfortunately neglected for some time now, but are ripe with the promise of immense rewards to the mind when their contents are finally consumed.

Personally, one of the most stimulating moments in the The Elegant Universe was Greene's articulation of how we, as humans, are travelling through time at the speed of light; thus tickling my brain with the thought that light—immune to the mundane effects of forward-marching time—is a bridge towards an omnipotent godhead. If light is moving at the speed of light through space—not time—is it possible that its entire permutation from Big Bang through to Cosmic Deflation would be accessible in a single given moment of time, i.e, if some manner of consciousness—not necessarily as we conceive of it—was to exist at that level of configuration, would the entirety of past, present, and future—the ticking tenure that provides the structural frame for the playing out of human existence—be available? At temporal lightspeed, can any photon wave/particle duality be positionally known within Space-Time as it cannot to our Time-delimited minds? Would access to this particular modular level of existence—as alien as it may be to comprehend—be the beginnings of omniscience and the hierarchical understanding of how the universe plays out/was meant to play out/will play out? As an object approaches the speed of light, its mass becomes infinite—would the same exponential assault waylay ever-present light as it approaches the speed of time? Would fulgent awareness become infinitely sluggish or limited as it neared this clock-marked barrier? From the—for lack of a better word—point of view of Lightspeed, would there exist differing quantum pathways that wend throughout the four perceivable dimensions, and from a high enough level, will they appear identical at select points of chronological evolution? Thanks Brian, for zapping me like you did into further confused wonder.(less)

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Mar 17, 2007 Robin Wasserkaise rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who appreciate the Universe

This book presents the latest breakdown of empirical existance with string theory- it's really well written and it sugguest how the fundimentals of all existing things come together in a very similar way as our understanding of music (little vibrations). I love this subject because, where the goal of civilization is to appreciate life in some form of organized chaos, some well spoken theorists have the ability to put things into perspective in such a way that the world seems to teem with possibi...more

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Apr 12, 2007 Alisha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: physicsislikesex, favorites

I left Christianity a few years ago and swore off religion altogether; however, after reading this book, string theory has become tantamount to religion in my life. Brian Greene writes beautifully about particles, planets, and the origins of our universe as we know it today. It is a heavy book- I don't recommend it for anyone who wants a quick, easy read. It took me almost two months to get through, but I learned a tremendous amount and came away in complete awe of the world and the forces at wo...more

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Oct 10, 2012 BetseaK rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: popular-science, physics, lendable-mobi-or-pdf-books

Though the first third of this book was amusing and accessible in a childish way, the book as a whole left me with a feeling that my brain is as tiny and crumpled up as a Calabi-Yau space, whichever shape it implies! :(

My opinion of this book is similar but not equal to Rob's (though I liked his review), because I didn't think the first third of the book gave me a fairly good understanding of the Einstein's relativity concepts at all. For instance, the rubber membrane - bowling ball analogy was...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Nilesh rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: good-non-fiction

About the best book on the subject and by a mile. As almost all the other reviewers claim, the initial parts on Newtonian, Relativistic and Quantum science are so beautifully and novelly explained that they should be made mandatory in any study books on the topic.

The approach continues as the author jumps to explaining a far more complex super-string theory. And here, the simplistic explanations make the theory look highly speculative, fantastic and without much ground/proof. This is certainly...more

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Jun 13, 2008 Jack Thornsberry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book blew my mind countless times as I read through it, so much so that I could usually only read 10-20 pages in one sitting. I had physics in high school, watched Cosmos and tons of other programs on the universe/relativity/quantum physics etc. so I have always had an interest but not enough to have that be my profession - nor am I smart enough in that way. Books like this let you visit that world for a while and this author does a fantastic job explaining general and advanced physics, Ein...more

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Mar 23, 2008 ayden rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book while taking a course (for non-physics students) called Modern Physics in Perspective, which centered on string theory. I learned so, so, so much in this class & the book helped a lot. If you're reading this book unassisted, be aware that there are some very confusing sections that you'll need to read a few times. Sometimes his analogies are a bit too inane. Also, I've discovered that many physicists have an unhealthy obsession with their research pet projects- I'd advise th...more

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May 20, 2012 Jnotes99 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Greene tries, and somewhat succeeds in explaining general relatvity, quantum physics, and string theory without going into all the math behind it. His style was very readable, and this was a very interesting book. In terms of the physics, at times I was able to follow it, at other times it made my head hurt, and I doubt I could explain any of this to anyone. However, if you have any interest in this subject, it was a good read, and I may go back to it again.

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Feb 01, 2011 Mely Sibbald Bissonette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Will I make it through this? Bets?

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May 06, 2013 Oxy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

People say Greene have such a unique and easy to understand way of explaining complex scientific theories and I have to agree! I remember the first time I heard many of these explanations on a British tv-show about physics many years ago I thought they were great too…

But I would say explaining physics is the secondary aim of this book, the first aim is the perpetuation of the Einstein myth. On the first page of the elegant universe the name Einstein is mentioned 5 times and so it continues, in f...more

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Feb 07, 2013 George rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science

I was tired of reading nothing but literature, my main squeeze, and having only vague notions about scientific concepts whose names are often thrown around in public discourse. And so I've resolved to throw in a non-fiction book into my reading now and then, and, physics representing one of the larger gaps in my knowledge, I chose to read The Elegant Universe.

How glad I am to have read it. As it turns out, my idea of string theory was erroneous, as was my rudimentary grasp of Einstein's theory...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Al rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"[Greene] develops one fresh new insight after another...In the great tradition of physicists writing for the masses, The Elegant Universe sets a standard that will be hard to beat." --George Johnson, The New York Times Book Review

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In a rare blend of scientific insight and writing as elegant as the theories it explains, Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter-from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas-is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy.

Green uses everything from an amusement park ride to ants on a garden hose to illustrate the beautiful yet bizarre realities that modern physics is unveiling. Dazzling in its brilliance, unprecedented in its ability to both illuminate and entertain, The Elegant Universe is a tour de force of science writing-a delightful, lucid voyage through modern physics that brings us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works.

Amazon.com Review

There is an ill-concealed skeleton in the closet of physics: "As they are currently formulated, general relativity and quantum mechanics cannot both be right." Each is exceedingly accurate in its field: general relativity explains the behavior of the universe at large scales, while quantum mechanics describes the behavior of subatomic particles. Yet the theories collide horribly under extreme conditions such as black holes or times close to the big bang. Brian Greene, a specialist in quantum field theory, believes that the two pillars of physics can be reconciled in superstring theory, a theory of everything.

Superstring theory has been called "a part of 21st-century physics that fell by chance into the 20th century." In other words, it isn't all worked out yet. Despite the uncertainties--"string theorists work to find approximate solutions to approximate equations"--Greene gives a tour of string theory solid enough to satisfy the scientifically literate.

Though Ed Witten of the Institute for Advanced Study is in many ways the human hero of The Elegant Universe, it is not a human-side-of-physics story. Greene's focus throughout is the science, and he gives the nonspecialist at least an illusion of understanding--or the sense of knowing what it is that you don't know. And that is traditionally the first step on the road to knowledge. --Mary Ellen Curtin

From Publishers Weekly

One of the more compelling scientific (cum-theological) questions in the Middle Ages was: "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" Today's version in cutting-edge science is, "How many strings... ?" As posited by s tring theory physics, strings are furiously vibrating loops of stuff. The concept of strings was devised to help scientists describe simultaneously both energy and matter. The frequency and resonance of strings' vibration, just like those of strings on an instrument, determine charge, spin and other familiar properties of energy?and eventually the structure of the universe: a true music of the spheres. There's a chance that strings are themselves made up of something still smaller. But scientists can prove their existence only on the blackboard and computer, because they are much too tiny?a hundred billion billion times smaller than the nucleus of an atom?to be observed experimentally. Brian Greene, professor of physics and mathematics at Cornell and Columbia universities, makes the terribly complex theory of strings accessible to all. He possesses a remarkable gift for using the everyday to illustrate what may be going on in dimensions beyond our feeble human perception. Just when we might be tempted to dismiss strings as grist for the publish-or-perish mill, Greene explains how they have demonstrated connections between mathematics and physics that have helped solve age-old conundrums in each field. This book will appeal to astronomy as well as math and physics fans because it probes the important insights string theory gives into hotly debated issues in cosmology. Later chapters require careful attention to Greene's explications, but the effort will prepare readers to follow the scientific advances likely to be made in the next millennium through application of string theory. Author tour.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Jan 08, 2013 Dave marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: calibre

SUMMARY: "[Greene] develops one fresh new insight after another...In the great tradition of physicists writing for the masses, The Elegant Universe sets a standard that will be hard to beat." --George Johnson, The New York Times Book ReviewIn a rare blend of scientific insight and writing as elegant as the theories it explains, Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Sayantan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

a good read, but in the end leaves you desiring more information. A very basic preview into the current strides in the world of theoretical physics. Very good for someone without a science background, a bit slow for those with one.

The author explains well, sometimes too well the intricacies of string theory. the "explains-too-well" is the part which bogs down the book. Sometimes he starts from very basic concepts and draws some good analogies to explain them, only that analogies are not required...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science

THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory. (1999). Brian Greene. ****.
I have to make myself clear on this book. It is more of a text than one for the general reader – even one well versed in atomic physics. The world it explores is vastly different from that I studied in my course on nuclear physics in college in the early 1960s. At that time, we learned about quarks, but didn’t know too much about them – they were just being discovered. Now we...more THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory. (1999). Brian Greene. ****.
I have to make myself clear on this book. It is more of a text than one for the general reader – even one well versed in atomic physics. The world it explores is vastly different from that I studied in my course on nuclear physics in college in the early 1960s. At that time, we learned about quarks, but didn’t know too much about them – they were just being discovered. Now we know that there are two types: “up” and “down.” Protons have two “ups”; while neutrons have two “downs.” Along with electrons and neutrons these make up the basic particles of matter. But wait...now there are also muons with a mass of ca. 200x that of the electron. And then...but I can’t give it all away. There are still only four force fields, thank goodness: gravitational, electromagnetic, weak, and strong. Unfortunately, different kinds of mathematics need to be used to treat these different fields – and the maths used are not compatible! When the author gets into string theory, you can tell he is excited. Here is a way that allows us to combine the theories of quantum mechanics and relativity in a way that they are now compatible. Unfortunately, he lost me on the way. I suspect that the best way to understand superstring theory is through the mathematics that best describe them, while the author attempts to avoid as much of the math as possible. It’s much like trying to describe a circular staircase without using your hands. I felt good being able to get through two-thirds of the book without getting a splitting headache. The author does warn the reader, however, that he might not catch all of the implications with only one reading. So, I’m going to read a book more than once on a casual basis knowing that there’s no test at the end? No way. For those who are more up to date than I am on their nuclear physics, this book will probably be a joy to read – that’s why I gave it four stars.
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Sep 26, 2012 Gary Patella rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Karl Popper is the great philosopher that truly defined what a subject would require to be a science. That trait is falsificationism. Every TRUE scientific theory must be falsifiable. There has to be a specific experiment or observation that would lend support to the theory, or contradict the theory, depending on the outcome.

Science is designed to make predictions, which can then be tested. Sadly, this book tries to pass itself off as science. But this is a religious text.

This guy Brian Greene,...more Karl Popper is the great philosopher that truly defined what a subject would require to be a science. That trait is falsificationism. Every TRUE scientific theory must be falsifiable. There has to be a specific experiment or observation that would lend support to the theory, or contradict the theory, depending on the outcome.

Science is designed to make predictions, which can then be tested. Sadly, this book tries to pass itself off as science. But this is a religious text.

This guy Brian Greene, along with a few other members of this cult, believe that everything is composed of this tiny little strings. The strings are so tiny, that you can never see them. The strings are so tiny, that there can never be any type of experiment to show that they exist or don't exist. You just have to take it all on faith.

You then must also take other things on faith. You must believe that we are living in a world with 10 or 11 dimensions, despite all evidence to the contrary. You must believe that these fictional strings will solve all of the problems, and give you all of the secrets of the universe.

If you ask for any evidence, or even a single math equation to show that these strings might exist, you will not get it. You must accept everything on faith. String "theory" is a religion, and it is trying to pass itself off as a science. It is for that reason that I only give it 2 stars.

However, if it were properly labelled as a religious text, it would probably also get only two stars. It is a religion that is not nearly as interesting or anthropologically significant as ancient Egyptian mythology, Greek mythology, or even Scientology.

The only reason for the two stars rather than one, is that Greene does a good job of explaining the general theory of relativity, the special theory of relativity, and some Newtonian physics. Of course, those explanations are regurgitated from previous authors, but nevertheless, a good summary.

I don't recommend this unless you are feeling a bit lost and need to find a new religion.(less)

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Apr 29, 2012 Remo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2005, divulgacion-cientifica, fisica

De vez en cuando surge un maestro de la divulgación científica. Brian Greene saltó a la fama de la divulgación científica con este libro. Se trata de una introducción a la teoría de cuerdas, una de las estructuras intelectuales más complejas paridas por la mente humana. El estilo es muy claro y ameno -se ve que el autor se divierte escribiendo- y resulta una lectura apasionante y muy enriquecedora incluso para lectores con formación física, pues las ideas de las que habla no están en la carrera.

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Jan 18, 2012 W.H. Fordham rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While I love reading science books, I can't claim to understand all of what I'm reading. Probably 70% on average. But that's enough to enjoy them and challenge myself to stretch to understand more. That is, after all, how we learn.
This book could have been a real brain buster, but Brian Greene explains the most complicated ideas so the layman can understand them. For instance I'd read about string theory before and thought the universe was full of million mile long invisible strings like sinews...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Anthony Berger added it · review of another edition

Greene took an almost ungraspable concept and delivered it to the lay person with relative panache. Giving practical, macroscopic examples of relativity and spacetime; breaking down the concepts within quantum theory; taking the various forms of string theory and mentioning the compilation of those theories to M-theory, makes Greene gifted.

Unfortunately, there are digressions and obvious gaps that most readers are trying to come to terms with, which Greene doesn't even mention. Oftentimes, many...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first section of the book boasts an outstanding, lucid introduction to the underlying "pillars" of Modern Physics: Classical Mechanics, Special & General Relativity, and Quantum Mechanics. These chapters involve a great number of thoughtful, clever analogies. If this is your maiden venture into popular physics literature (as it was mine), the first 135 pages or so are really worthy of sufficiently focused study. My whole worldview has been changed as a result!

The remainder of the text de...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Michael Johnston rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For those interested in "simply" understanding our universe this book offers an interesting tour of modern physics included a review of relativity, quantum mechanics and the search for TOE (the Theory Of Everything). However it is not for the faint of heart or those with limited imaginations. Here is what I love about physics - at some point the field left the realm of perceptibly plausible human reality and entered the realm of imaginative fantasy. How can light and matter be both wave and part...more For those interested in "simply" understanding our universe this book offers an interesting tour of modern physics included a review of relativity, quantum mechanics and the search for TOE (the Theory Of Everything). However it is not for the faint of heart or those with limited imaginations. Here is what I love about physics - at some point the field left the realm of perceptibly plausible human reality and entered the realm of imaginative fantasy. How can light and matter be both wave and particle at the same time. How can electrons exist as probability not reality (put a different way - can something really exist not with certainty, but probabilistically).

This book is a startling explanation (as far as any real explanation can be given) of how the world works at both the microscopic level and at the massive scale of the universe. Getting to that explanation requires that we take a tour of the history of Einstein's theory of relativity, then it's conflicts with the elemental findings of quantum mechanics and finally to string theory which offers the first faint glimpses of a theory which stitches together these two fundamental theories - the beginnings of a theory of everything. However string theory requires that we suspend our understanding of the universe through our senses. For example, we must contemplate a world in which there are not four dimensions (three of space and one of time), but as many as 11 dimensions - most of which are too small to be measured scientifically by equipment existing today.

For the average person, this sounds ridiculous. If you can't see these extra dimensions and they are so imperceptibly small that you can't measure them, one might think that the scientists have simply created an imaginative artifice to make their theory work. And yet, one of the most intriguing things about string theory is that it explains so much.

Most of the book is exceptionally well written - written in a way that those with a passing interest can follow and marvel at the wonder of it all. There is a small amount of more dense scientific explanation near the end, but if you stick with it you might find out that the newest thinking is that black holes might actually be massless and in some way another form of the elementary particle that makes up everything in the universe.

Of course, long before you get to that point you may have run screaming from the room.(less)

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Jun 22, 2011 Rico Cordova rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star, non-fiction

The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

After reading Faster Than the Speed of Light this book was a natural follow up - Magueijo does a lot of "elegant bashing".

This book was very good but definitely not for as casual of an audience as A Brief History of Time. The ideas presented here can be appreciated by anyone - but Greene provides details that are fairly advanced. I have degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics and some of the top...more

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May 23, 2011 Dylan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I started this book it was honestly more for the cover and to learn something. Quantum physics was never really my thing. I enjoyed reading more biology kind of books. The Selfish Gene, The Greatest Show on Earth, and so on. But upon reading this book I instantly feel in love with string theory and physics all together. Brian Greene writes with such perfection that a dumb teen like me could understand all the material. It was a little hard to read just because the information is so in depth...more

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May 11, 2011 David added it · review of another edition

This book may have taken me longer to read than any I've read in my entire life. It was immensely complicated, and I had to reread many passages more than once or twice. I found myself enjoying a lot of pieces of the book even without understanding some of the more detailed ideas. The book does an okay job of explaining the theories themselves, though they still are difficult to grasp (despite the authors best efforts). However,even without fully understanding the individual concepts, the book g...more

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Mar 19, 2011 Alex Telander rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It’s been over a decade since the publication of the popular and bestselling The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene. In the original introduction, Greene talks about not knowing how a book on superstrings, quantum theory, and the theory of everything would be popular; and now ten years later, with another new edition, along with the release of his new book, The Hidden Reality; it seems like many readers continue to be fascinated by the mysteries of our world and the cosmos.

Greene covers a lot in t...more

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Feb 09, 2011 JenniferRuth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science

Write a review...Brian Greene has written and excellent popular science book that really displays his passion for the subject of string theory. He does a brilliant job of explaining difficult concepts for the layperson and manages to make most of the book engaging and understandable.

The book starts out by explaining the well-known concepts of special and general relativity before moving on to quantum mechanics and then to the greater intricacies of string theory. It finishes by giving an overvie...more Write a review...Brian Greene has written and excellent popular science book that really displays his passion for the subject of string theory. He does a brilliant job of explaining difficult concepts for the layperson and manages to make most of the book engaging and understandable.

The book starts out by explaining the well-known concepts of special and general relativity before moving on to quantum mechanics and then to the greater intricacies of string theory. It finishes by giving an overview of how string theory is being developed into the more encompassing M-Theory and posing the questions scientists hope the theory will answer. It is true that the book does become a more difficult read when you get into later chapters. This is not the fault of Greene but more the fact that it must be quite hard to create metaphors to explain concepts that are usually only displayed higher-dimensional mathematics. It is worth persevering even through these difficult chapters because it really does give a nice, if superficial, understanding of the science. I cannot fault Greene's explanation of the subject which was always interesting and he did a fantastic job of relating string theory to questions of cosmology. It definitely left me with a sense of wonderment.

I did have some problems with some aspects of the book that were not related to the science. Greene has a very bad habit of wandering off into self aggrandisement and terrible anecdotes. The worst thing about Greene's anecdotes is that they aren't anecdotes at all. They are stories with no point that should never have been included in the book. These stories are just there, hidden among the more difficult chapters as some kind of unnecessary filler being all the worse because Greene manages to make himself and his colleagues sound like the dullest people on earth. I do not need to read about how Greene and Edward Witten emailed one another. Actually, I lost count of the number of times he told me (in horribly florid prose) how bloody fantastic Witten was. This was very distracting. A better editor would have removed these parts from the book.

I understand that Greene is heavily-invested in research into string theory but I do not think it helps the book for him to constantly reassert how fantastic he and his fellow theorists are. It comes off as smug. Alongside the Alan Partridge esque anecdotes this smugness then becomes almost cringeworthy.

Despite this problem, you cannot fault the excellent science writing which makes some very difficult mathematical and scientific concepts understandable and fascinating. It's a nice to read before bed so you can drift off to sleep trying to imagine the parts of the universe you can't see.(less)

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Nov 05, 2010 Mark Laflamme added it · review of another edition

For me, "The Elegant Universe" is the book that started it all. Greene has such a smooth way of easing the novice into the complexities of string theory, the reader feels almost acquainted by the time the science is introduced. Never boring or tedious, Greene deftly guides us through the basics of relativity, explains the importance of frames of reference, and eases us into the almost magical world of gravity and timespace.
Like Einstein, Greene presents the science through simple visuals - balls...more

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Sep 18, 2010 William Ramsay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a very good book on a very complex subject. String theory is the latest way physicists are trying to connect relativity theory with quantum mechanics. Most people are familiar with relativity theory. Greene gives the best description of it I have ever read. Quantum mechanics is the other side of physics. Where relativity theory tries to explain the workings of the greater universe, quantum mechanics tries to explain the working of atoms. The two views of the universe - the very large and...more

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About Brian Greene

Brian Greene is an American theoretical physicist and one of the best-known string theorists. He has been a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University since 1996. He has become known to a wider audience through his books for the general public and a related PBS television special.

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Books by Brian Greene

The Fabric of the Cosmos (Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality)

The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos

The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2006

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Quotes from The Elegant Universe

“The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.” — 26 people liked it

“...quantum mechanics—the physics of our world—requires that you hold such pedestrian complaints in abeyance.” — 11 people liked it

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The Elegant Universe

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