Book cover of Time Machines: Time Travel in Physics, Metaphysics, and Science Fiction

Book description

This book explores the idea of time travel from the first account in English literature to the latest theories of physicists such as Kip Thorne and Igor Novikov. This very readable work covers a variety of topics including: the history of time travel in fiction; the fundamental scientific concepts of…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Time Machines as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Nahin tells the story of time travelling machines, both from the fictional, philosophical and the scientific point of view. He explains such issues as time travel into the future and the past and the paradoxes involved. The narrative is accompanied by numerous entertaining illustrations. Mathematical details are confined to Tech Notes at the end. Readers can pick and choose the chapters in which they are most interested. It is in my opinion still one of the most comprehensive books about time travel; an excellent spring board for further exploration of this fascinating topic.

I’ve never met Nahin but I recognize in him a kindred spirit of someone similarly obsessed with time. If you want to know about time travel, here it is in all its glory. The “tech notes” at the end show that this is a labor of love. Not only will you encounter some of the most fascinating physics (in the works of Godel, Novikov, Thorne, Tipler, and dozens more), but you’ll also learn about early science fiction, the threat of fatalism, the history of the idea that time is the fourth dimension, and more.

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