Helge Kragh - Simply Dirac

Paul Dirac is one of the most influential scientists of the twentieth century, often called the theorists theorist. Yet he is much less well known than many lesser physicists. In Simply Dirac, the distinguished historian Helge Kragh gives an accessible introduction to Diracs most famous contributions to our understanding of the workings of nature, and gives us a good sense of the theoreticians singular personality. A most enjoyable read.

Graham Farmelo, Author of The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Mystic of the Atom

Kragh, who is a respected colleague and authoritative historian, has taken up an imposing challenge. Diracs work is obscured by three barriers to understanding: The complexity of quantum mechanics, the novelty of Diracs take on this field, and the strangeness of the man. To reveal Diracs genius through this triple veil in such a clear way was no easy task, but one that Kragh has handled remarkably. He is a reliable guide through this difficult terrain and has contributed many valuable insights to this work.

Hans Christian von Baeyer, Chancellor Professor of Physics, Emeritus, at the College of William and Mary

What a fantastic entre into the life of Paul Dirac and the exotic world of Quantum Mechanics, of which he was one of the great pioneers. With its cast of some of the most important scientists of the modern age, this is both an entertaining and an enlightening read.

Michael White, Bestselling author of 39 books including Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer

Helge Kragh has crafted an engaging and informative biography of a shy theorist who specialized in difficult physicsa beautiful life in science, in which Paul Diracs strengths and frailties are treated with a light touch.

Simon Mitton, Author of Fred Hoyle: A Life in Science

Written with depth and clarity, Helge Kraghs Simply Dirac is an informative and interesting description of Paul Diracs work and ideas and of his life and legacy. In particular, I found the authors detailed discussions of methodology, something that is often neglected in a biography as well as his discussion of what little philosophy there was in Diracs thinking, illuminating.

Hans S. Plendl, Professor Emeritus of Physics, Florida State University

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A lthough not well known to the general public, British physicist Paul Dirac (1902-1984) is indisputably one of the giants of modern science. More specifically, he was one of the founders of quantum mechanics, the theory that, together with Einsteins theory of relativity, defines the modern physical world picture at its most fundamental level. Dirac probably contributed more profoundly to the quantum revolution than any other physicist. His amazing outbursts of scientific brilliance were essentially confined to a decade-long period starting in 1925, after which his creativity and interest in mainstream science declined.

Dirac acquired fame not only for his contributions to physics but also because of his peculiar personality, including such traits as extreme reticence and taciturnity. Social skills were not his strong side. His younger contemporary, Richard Feynman, another quantum genius, was once described as a second Dirac, only human.

This book offers a condensed account of Diracs life and science or, more specifically, his life in science. Despite his reserved personality, he was very well connected and during his long career, he interacted with physics luminaries such as Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and others. The book is to some extent based on a more detailed and technically demanding monograph I published in 1990, in which one can find further information (