Overview

The biggest science story of our time, Massive spans four decades, weaving together the personal narratives and international rivalries behind the search for the God"" particle, or Higgs boson. A story of grand ambition, intense competition, clashing egos, and occasionally spectacular failures, Massive is the first book that reveals the science, culture, and politics behind the biggest unanswered question in modern physicswhat gives things mass? Drawing upon his unprecedented access to Peter Higgs, after whom the particle is named, award-winning science writer Ian Sample chronicles the multinational and multibillion-dollar quest to solve the mystery of mass. For scientists, to find the God particle is to finally understand the origin of mass, and until now, the story of their search has never been told.

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9780465019472

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Reviews

Graham Farmelo, Guardian (London) [Peter] Higgs himself has proved almost as elusive as his eponymous particle. Until now. Ian Sample.... persevered long enough to secure an interview with him, and the results are among the highlights of Massive, a lively account of the genesis of both the LHC and its most famous particulate quarry....Sample has interviewed quite a few other leading scientists, too, and proves adept at prising insights from them....We are kept hooked by its fine reportage, which makes clear the sheer achievement of the scientists and engineers who have built the LHC, the most complex machine ever made in the service of pure science. We learn, too, of the many theoretical concepts that will be probed by it. Sean Carroll, author of From Eternity to Here When the Higgs boson is discovered, it will be front page news, and this is the book that sets the stage. Ian Sample mixes cutting-edge science with behind-the-scenes stories to paint a compelling picture of one of modern science's greatest quests. Nature Sample describes the competition and politics behind the experiments that have sought the eponymous boson. . . . He relates amusing anecdotes... [and] spins a good yarn... To get a sense of the sociology and politics of high-energy physics, Massive is a good place to start. Kirkus Reviews Lively popular account of late-20th-century physics, physicists and their machines. . . . Quality science journalism. Publishers Weekly [A] roller-coaster of a tale. Sample keeps the physics accessible, but the real pleasure is in the personalities and drama he reveals behind the hunt for one of the most elusive objects in the universe. Kirkus Reviews Lively popular account of late-20th-century physics, physicists and their machines. . . . Quality science journalism. Wall Street Journal Ian Sample... shows a keen eye for the personal equation even while narrating large swatches of physics history. . . . Mr. Sample's excitin

<p>Graham Farmelo, Guardian (London)<br> [Peter] Higgs himself has proved almost as elusive as his eponymous particle. Until now. Ian Sample.... persevered long enough to secure an interview with him, and the results are among the highlights of Massive, a lively account of the genesis of both the LHC and its most famous particulate quarry....Sample has interviewed quite a few other leading scientists, too, and proves adept at prising insights from them....We are kept hooked by its fine reportage, which makes clear the sheer achievement of the scientists and engineers who have built the LHC, the most complex machine ever made in the service of pure science. We learn, too, of the many theoretical concepts that will be probed by it. Sean Carroll, author of From Eternity to Here When the Higgs boson is discovered, it will be front page news, and this is the book that sets the stage. Ian Sample mixes cutting-edge science with behind-the-scenes stories to paint a compelling picture of one of modern science's greatest quests. Nature Sample describes the competition and politics behind the experiments that have sought the eponymous boson. . . . He relates amusing anecdotes... [and] spins a good yarn... To get a sense of the sociology and politics of high-energy physics, Massive is a good place to start. Kirkus Reviews Lively popular account of late-20th-century physics, physicists and their machines. . . . Quality science journalism. <br> Publishers Weekly [A] roller-coaster of a tale. Sample keeps the physics accessible, but the real pleasure is in the personalities and drama he reveals behind the hunt for one of the most elusive objects in the universe. <br> Kirkus Reviews<br> Lively popular account of late-20th-century physics, physicists and their machines. . . . Quality science journalism. Wall Street Journal <br> Ian Sample... shows a keen eye for the personal equation even while narrating large swatches of physics history. . . . Mr. Sample's excitin

<p>Graham Farmelo, Guardian (London)<br> [Peter] Higgs himself has proved almost as elusive as his eponymous particle. Until now. Ian Sample.... persevered long enough to secure an interview with him, and the results are among the highlights of Massive , a lively account of the genesis of both the LHC and its most famous particulate quarry....Sample has interviewed quite a few other leading scientists, too, and proves adept at prising insights from them....We are kept hooked by its fine reportage, which makes clear the sheer achievement of the scientists and engineers who have built the LHC, the most complex machine ever made in the service of pure science. We learn, too, of the many theoretical concepts that will be probed by it. Sean Carroll, author of From Eternity to Here When the Higgs boson is discovered, it will be front page news, and this is the book that sets the stage. Ian Sample mixes cutting-edge science with behind-the-scenes stories to paint a compelling picture of

Author Information

Ian Sample is a science correspondent at The Guardian, and before that at New Scientist. He holds a PhD in biomedical science and was named investigative journalist of the year in 2005 by the Association of British Science Writers. He lives in London.

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