Arthur W. Wiggins

A waste of time and paper. It's not that the subject is uninteresting it's that this poorly written and edited book adds nothing to the body of work on these various scientists that is already out there. There are little parenthetical asides, some meant to be humorous and some merely reminders, which should either have been omitted or replaced with a footnote. Most of the illustrations are from Wikimedia commons and are attributed, not to the original source, but to the Wikipedia contributor who posted them. This is not an illuminating practice, and requires some justification, which I did not find in the book. A picture of Neil de Grasse Tyson has simply gone missing from the final text.

The "in 90 minutes" books are not all that good, but they would be a much better choice than this book.… (mehr)

Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction" draws the line between what is good science and what isn't even really science at all. The basis for the book begins with the examination of the five most widely believed pseudoscientific ideas: UFOs, out-of-body experiences, astrology, creationism, and ESP These ideas are reviewed in detail to see just how well they stand up to scientific scrutiny. Cleverly illustrated with cartoons by the renowned Sidney Harris, "Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction" is both wonderful fun as well as illuminating science. Although many science topics can seem mysterious, especially when you really get into the details, in the long run its methods and ideas are remarkably straightforward. "Quantum Leaps in the Wrong Direction" takes this methodical approach to dissect the worst in the field. Tremendously witty, disarmingly fun, this is a book for anyone-especially for those folks who check their horoscope everyday.… (mehr)