The Infinite Book

July 15, 2005
Barrow, a mathematician and prolific popular science author (e.g., "The Anthropic Cosmological Principle"), here surveys the intriguing topic of infinity. He approaches the subject from the viewpoints of mathematics, physics, and scientific cosmology and also delves into philosophers' and theologians' reflections concerning infinity. Georg Cantor, the remarkable 19th-century mathematician who was persecuted for his development of infinity as an ultimately respectable mathematical subject, receives special attention. Aside from Cantor's tragedy, Barrow's book is basically a lighthearted romp, particularly in the final chapter, "Living Forever." The text is sprinkled with numerous pertinent (and often amusing) quotes from a variety of authors. Well suited to a general audience, this book requires no specialized knowledge of mathematics or science; recommended for all public and academic libraries. -Jack W. Weigel, Ann Arbor, MI

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2005
As prolific science writer and physicist Barrow regularly remarks, infinity is not merely the smallest or biggest thing, or the longest time imaginable: it's a quality that is unimaginable. It's thus a paradox that mathematicians, physicists, and philosophers have discovered quite a bit about infinity, albeit with different degrees of certitude. As also related in David Foster Wallace's " Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity " (2003), Barrow recounts the career of German mathematician Georg Cantor, whose explorations of set theory resulted in fundamental proofs about infinities (some are bigger than others, for example). However joyous such discoveries are to the numbers masters, physicists' encounters with infinities are less rapturous because they hint at deficiencies in general relativity; hence " their " joy over string theory, which eliminates infinities that arise in calculations about the big bang and black holes. Performing with his customary fluency and accessibility, Barrow imparts for general readers a feeling for the nub of thought about the mathematical, cosmic, ethical, and theological implications of infinity. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)