The Hunt for Vulcan

“Delightful … a charming tale about an all-but-forgotten episode in science history.”—The Wall Street Journal “Engaging … At heart, this is a story about how science advances, one insight at a time. But the immediacy, almost romance, of [Thomas] Levenson’s writing makes it almost novelistic.”—The Washington Post“Captures the drama of the tireless search for this celestial object.”—Science “Levenson’s narrative is a well-structured, fast-paced example of exemplary science writing. A scintillating popular account of the interplay between mathematical physics and astronomical observations.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “The Hunt for Vulcan is a short, beautifully produced book that tells a cautionary tale… . Levenson is a breezy writer who renders complex ideas in down-to-earth language … and colorfully illustrates the limits of scientific theory as it faces new data and even more persuasive theories.”—The Boston Globe “Thomas Levenson wonderfully tells the story of Vulcan… . Looping through science history from Isaac Newton onwards, Levenson elegantly reveals the evolutionary nature of scientific thought, and the marvel of the revolution that Einstein wrought.”—Nature “An essential read … a compelling story that successfully portrays how science deals with ambiguity … The Hunt for Vulcan succeeds spectacularly at displaying the intricate, confusing, and sometimes quirky way science progresses.”—Ars Technica“This delightful and enlightening drama tells the story of the hunt for a planet that did not exist and how Einstein resolved the mystery with the most beautiful theory in the history of science. The Hunt for Vulcan is an inspiring tale about the quest for discovery and the challenges and joys of understanding our universe.”—Walter Isaacson   “The Hunt for Vulcan is equal to the best science writing I’ve read anywhere, by any author. Beautifully composed, rich in historical context, deeply researched, it is, above all, great storytelling. Levenson gives a true picture of the scientific enterprise, with all its good and bad guesses, wishful thinking, passion, human ego, and desire to know and understand this strange and magnificent cosmos we find ourselves in.”—Alan Lightman, author of The Accidental Universe “Thomas Levenson’s brilliance as a writer is in setting the evolution of scientific ideas into their appropriate historical contexts, allowing us to see their wider implications. In this engaging, informative book, laced with lovely anecdotes, Levenson elegantly teaches us about both the laws of physics and the less law-abiding ways in which physics advances occur.”—Lisa Randall, professor of physics, Harvard University, and author of Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs “Levenson deftly draws readers into a quest that shows how scientists think and argue, as well as how science advances: one discovery at a time.”—Publishers Weekly

Thomas Levenson is a professor of science writing at MIT. He is the author of several books, including The Hunt for Vulcan, Einstein in Berlin, and Newton and the Counterfeiter: The Unknown Detective Career of the World’s Greatest Scientist. He has also made ten feature-length documentaries (including a two-hour Nova program on Einstein) for which he has won numerous awards.