The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments

Entertaining, finely crafted… there is a feast of fine science writing in this gem of a book * Sunday Telegraph *Johnson’s essays balance human interest and scientific wonder in equal measure, making for a delicious succession of vignettes * Guardian *Johnson’s lively book… finds beauty throughout science - even among dead frogs and drooling dogs * Scotsman *Johnson manages to convey the heart-stopping wonder of discovery * Radio 4, Today programme *In describing these beautifully simple works of genius, Johnson reveals as much about the corporatist nature of modern science as he does about early research * Scotland on Sunday *Johnson has a good feel for detail … and an easy touch with larger concepts … Johnson’s lively book nicely evokes the lost world of the tabletop experiment . * New York Times Book Review *Delightful, succinct, elegant. * Roger Penrose *Johnson’s mix of the personal, the erudite and crystalline prose is – like the pull of gravity (see beautiful experiment number 1) – an irresistible force. * Scientific American *As a science journalist, Mr. Johnson is a seasoned translator of technical jargon. He also has a sharp eye for human plot, both in and out of the laboratory … a certain spirit of wonder breathes through Mr. Johnson’s chapters. * New York Sun *A delightful read that will stimulate the scientist inside everyone * Bluesci *

George Johnson is a science-writer for the New York Times and has also had work published in Scientific America, Time, Slate and Wired and in the collections The Best American Scientific Writing. His blog, The Cancer Chronicles, can be found at