The year in reviews: Books that stood out in 2023

For those in search of gifts for the physics enthusiasts in their life, here are books reviewed in Physics Today this year that should satisfy their curiosity.

Sharing Our Science: How to Write and Speak STEM by Brandon R. Brown (MIT Press, 2023, $26.95 paper). Most scientists receive little formal training in how to communicate with nonspecialists and the broader public. In Sharing Our Science, physics professor and science communication researcher Brandon Brown provides a guide. Chapters discuss writing structure, the use of metaphor and anecdotes, common writing mistakes, and avoiding unnecessary complexity. Brown’s willingness to admit to the many mistakes that he has made during his career adds to the book’s effectiveness. Reviewer Christopher Reddy writes that the book is an “engaging read that will help scientists achieve a richer and more rewarding career.”

Quantum Field Theory, as Simply as Possible by A. Zee (Princeton U. Press, 2023, $39.95). In six breezy parts, theorist A. Zee delivers an effective primer on quantum field theory (QFT) that, according to reviewer Michael Turner, is ideal for both aspiring physicists and dedicated laypeople. Zee covers the physics of forces, the Euler–Lagrange formulation of classical mechanics and the path-integral formulation of quantum mechanics, quantum electrodynamics, antimatter, the standard model, and attempts to create a grand unified theory. Aided by the book’s useful diagrams and clear explanations, readers will come away with what Turner calls a “deeper understanding of theoretical physics, an appreciation of what QFT is, and an esteem for its elegance.”

A History of Scientific Journals: Publishing at the Royal Society, 1665–2015 by Aileen Fyfe, Noah Moxham, Julie McDougall-Waters, and Camilla Mørk Røstvik (UCL Press, 2022, open access , $90.00 hardcover). A team of historians led by Aileen Fyfe explores the venerable publishing arm of the Royal Society of London, which dates to the debut of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society more than 350 years ago. The hefty volume explores, among other topics, how peer review was introduced and formalized in the society’s journals, how scholarly publishing became one of the society’s main sources of revenue, and how the institution has transitioned its publications to a digital-first platform. Published open access, the book is an “exciting scholarly achievement, available at no cost to readers,” writes reviewer Melinda Baldwin.

Calculating Brilliance: An Intellectual History of Mayan Astronomy at Chich’en Itza by Gerardo Aldana y Villalobos (U. Arizona Press, 2022, $75.00). The classical Mayan civilization that thrived before 900 CE in Mesoamerica is known for its astronomical tradition. If you’re looking to dive past pop culture and conspiracy theories—remember when the world was supposed to end in 2012?—pick up Calculating Brilliance. Historian of science Gerardo Aldana y Villalobos first describes the history of Mayan studies: By constantly comparing Mayan astronomy with its Western counterpart, most scholars took a biased, Eurocentric approach, Aldana writes. He then describes how Mayan astronomy was integral to the civilization’s ceremonies and rituals and argues that K’uk’ul Ek’ Tuyilaj, a female astronomer at Chich’en Itza, made key contributions to the Mayan understanding of Venus’s orbit. Reviewer Olival Freire Jr calls the book “a tribute to humanity’s cultural diversity.”

Existential Physics: A Scientist’s Guide to Life’s Biggest Questions by Sabine Hossenfelder (Viking, 2022, $28.00). Are we part of a computer simulation à la The Matrix? How did the universe begin? In Existential Physics, theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder presents the evidence relevant to such deep questions and sometimes concludes that science cannot provide the answers. (She does, however, insist that physics disproves the existence of free will.) Interviews with David Deutsch, Roger Penrose, and others on topics such as the predictability of knowledge and the computability of consciousness round out the book. As reviewer Don Howard notes, Existential Physics “should stand as a model for other scientists who sincerely want to make their science relevant to the concerns of a broader public.”