THE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES

...is a full cornucopia of sophisticated writing about broad fields of science that spews forth the author's phenomenal scientific knowledge at an almost breathless pace. The first half of the book--Moons of Rock and Suns of Fire--deals with major astronomical phenomena viewed poetically from an imaginary earth satellite. In the second part the realms in which physics holds sway pass in review; the forms and nature of matter (never mentioned as such), the atom, waves and music, light and color, space and time. Throughout, the material is presented within a fascinating perspective of philosophic affection toward science and faith in its efforts to penetrate the unknown. Subjects flow one into the other smoothly showing remarkable integration, yet make absorption of facts and ideas difficult because of their proliferation. This is a book that should attract the intelligent reader who would like to take a bite of science with a pronounced literary flavor. It is more complex than John Pfeiffer's From Galaxies to Man (1959) and therefore would presumably have a smaller market, demanding a higher level of orientation in science than other introductions.