The History, Theory, and Application of a Revolutionary Science

Quantum Computing from Colossus to Qubits

The revolution is here. In breakthrough after breakthrough, pioneering physicists are unlocking a new quantum universe which provides a better representation of reality than our everyday experiences and common sense ever could. The birth of quantum computers - which, like Schrödinger's famous dead-and-alive cat, rely on entities like electrons existing in a mixture of states - is starting to turn the computing world on its head. 
 
In his fascinating study of this cutting-edge technology (first published as Computing with Quantum Cats and now featuring a new foreword), John Gribbin updates his previous views on the nature of quantum reality, arguing for a universe of many parallel worlds where 'everything is real'. Looking back to Alan Turing's work on the Enigma machine and the first electronic computer, Gribbin explains how quantum theory developed to make quantum computers work in practice as well as in principle. He takes us beyond the arena of theoretical physics to explore their practical applications - from machines which learn through 'intuition' and trial and error to unhackable laptops and smartphones. And he investigates the potential for this extraordinary science to allow communication faster than light and even teleportation, as we step into a world of infinite possibility.

John Gribbin gained a PhD from the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge (then under the leadership of Fred Hoyle) before working as a science journalist for Nature and later New Scientist. He is the author of several bestselling popular science books, including In Search of Schrödinger's Cat, Science: A History, In Search of the Multiverse, Quantum Computing, and Six Impossible Things. He is a Senior Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Sussex and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

The revolution is here. In breakthrough after breakthrough, pioneering physicists are unlocking a new quantum universe which provides a better representation of reality than our everyday experiences and common sense ever could. The birth of quantum computers - which, like Schrödinger's famous dead-and-alive cat, rely on entities like electrons existing in a mixture of states - is starting to turn the computing world on its head. 
 
In his fascinating study of this cutting-edge technology, John Gribbin updates his previous views on the nature of quantum reality, arguing for a universe of many parallel worlds where 'everything is real'. Looking back to Alan Turing's work on the Enigma machine and the first electronic computer, Gribbin explains how quantum theory developed to make quantum computers work in practice as well as in principle. He takes us beyond the arena of theoretical physics to explore their practical applications - from machines which learn through 'intuition' and trial and error to unhackable laptops and smartphones. And he investigates the potential for this extraordinary science to allow communication faster than light and even teleportation, as we step into a world of infinite possibility.

From Colossus to Qubits

Computing with Quantum Cats

Pioneering study of the science behind quantum computing and what the new quantum reality will mean for mankind

Immensely readable... John Gribbin deftly traverses the peek-a-boo world of electrons and discombobulating possibilities of parallel universes to shed some much-needed light on the imminent technological revolution.

With a readable history of [quantum] theory, and of computers, Gribbin has penned a fascinating, pleasantly mind-boggling and probably quite essential book for non-eggheads.

The quantum computer is no longer the stuff of science fiction. Pioneering physicists are on the brink of unlocking a new quantum universe which provides a better representation of reality than our everyday experiences and common sense ever could. The birth of quantum computers – which, like Schrödinger’s famous ‘dead and alive’ cat, rely on entities like electrons, photons or atoms existing in two states at the same time – is set to turn the computing world on its head. 
 
In his fascinating study of this cutting-edge technology, John Gribbin updates his previous views on the nature of quantum reality, arguing for a universe of many parallel worlds where ‘everything is real’. Looking back to Alan Turing’s work on the Enigma machine and the first electronic computer, Gribbin explains how quantum theory developed to make quantum computers work in practice as well as in principle. He takes us beyond the arena of theoretical physics to explore their practical applications – from machines which learn through ‘intuition’ and trial and error to unhackable laptops and smartphones. And he investigates the potential for this extraordinary science to create a world where communication occurs faster than light and teleportation is possible.

Erwin Schrodinger and the Quantum Revolution

A fascinating and colourful biography of the father of quantum mechanics, by the bestselling author of the science classic, In Search of Schrödinger's Cat.

A fascinating tale of scientific endeavour . . . Gribbin expertly elucidates the relationships and discoveries that shaped Schrodinger's thoughts, including his lengthy correspondence with Albert Einstein, which led to the famous cat-in-the-box thought experiment . . . Anyone wishing to dip their feet in the muddy waters of quantum physics will enjoy this scientific soap opera. But it should be required reading for those eager to understand how the process of scientific discovery really works

Gribbin is an established master in the game of demystifying quantum mechanics

Gribbin lucidly describes Schrödinger's Silver Surfer view of the universe, as well as revealing some of the more colourful details of Schrödinger's life... at its heart, this book is a fight for the soul of the quantum world

John Gribbin gained a PhD from the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge (then under the leadership of Fred Hoyle) before working as a science journalist for Nature and later New Scientist. He is the author of a number of bestselling popular science books, including In Search of Schrödinger's Cat, In Search of the Multiverse, Science: A History and The Universe: A Biography. He is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Sussex and in 2000 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Erwin Schrödinger was an Austrian physicist famous for his contribution to quantum physics. He won the Nobel Prize in 1933 and is best known for his thought experiment of a cat in a box, both alive and dead at the same time, which revealed the seemingly paradoxical nature of quantum mechanics. 
 
Schrödinger was working at one of the most fertile and creative moments in the whole history of science. By the time he started university in 1906, Einstein had already published his revolutionary papers on relativity. Now the baton of scientific progress was being passed to a new generation: Werner Heisenberg, Paul Dirac, Niels Bohr, and of course, Schrödinger himself. 
 
In this riveting biography John Gribbin takes us into the heart of the quantum revolution. He tells the story of Schrödinger's surprisingly colourful life (he arrived for a position at Oxford University with both his wife and mistress). And with his trademark accessible style and popular touch, he explains the fascinating world of quantum mechanics, which underpins all of modern science.

The Miracle of Life on Earth

The Reason Why

In The Reason Why: The Miracle of Life on Earth John Gribbin shows what makes our planet so special, explaining why the 'Fermi Paradox' - the apparent absence of alien life - holds the key to our uniqueness. 
 
 There are several hundred billion stars in our Milky Way Galaxy, yet out of all of these Earth is the only planet with intelligent life on it. Why? 
 
 For the first time, John Gribbin makes the link between the whole series of cosmic events that gave rise to our civilization - a unique set of circumstances that have not, and could not, occur anywhere else. 
 
 John Gribbin is our best, most accessible guide to the big questions of science. In this book, he explores the biggest questions of all: why are we here, what does it mean to be alone in the universe - and do we have a future? 
 
 'The master of popular science writing' &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Sunday Times 
 
 'A fascinating journey through space and time ... this book presents an exciting insight into the many fortuitous events and cosmic quirks that have all come together to make Earth such a life-friendly world' &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Science Focus 
 
 'Lyrical, enormously readable ... John Gribbin explains just how our home world appears to be special, and exactly what we have to be thankful for' &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;The Times Higher Education 
 
 John Gribbin is one of today's greatest writers of popular science and the author of bestselling books, including In Search of Schrödinger's Cat, Stardust, Science: A History and In Search of the Multiverse. Gribbin trained as an astrophysicist at Cambridge University and is currently Visiting Fellow in Astronomy at the University of Sussex.

A veteran science writer, Gribbin has published more than 100 books over the past four decades. The Reason Why exhibits the comprehensive research and lyrical writing that admirers of Gribbin have come to expect... [it] is an enormously readable book, and it will leave you with a lot to chew over. I heartily recommend it

A fascinating journey through space and time ... this book presents an exciting insight into the many fortuitous events and cosmic quirks that have all come together to make Earth such a life-friendly world

John Gribbin is one of today's greatest writers of popular science and the author of bestselling books, including In Search of Schrödinger's Cat, Stardust, Science: A History and Deep Simplicity. He is famous to his many fans for making complex ideas simple, and says that his aim in his writing - much of it done with his wife, Mary Gribbin - is to share with his readers his sense of wonder at the strangeness of the universe. John Gribbin trained as an astrophysicist at Cambridge University and is currently Visiting Fellow in Astronomy at the University of Sussex.

There are several hundred billion stars in our Milky Way Galaxy, yet out of all of these Earth is the only planet with intelligent life on it. Why? 
 
In The Reason Why John Gribbin shows just what it is that makes our planet so special. For the first time, he makes the link between the whole series of cosmic events that gave rise to our civilization - a unique set of circumstances that have not, and could not, occur anywhere else. 
 
John Gribbin is our best, most accessible guide to the big questions of science. In this book, he explores the biggest questions of all: why are we here, what does it mean to be alone in the universe - and do we have a future?

The Irrepressible Life of James Lovelock

He Knew He Was Right

Jim Lovelock (1919-2022) was an iconic figure in British science, a prophet whose prophecies are coming true. This is his definitive authorised biography. Lovelock is best known as the 'father' of Gaia theory, which is now established as the most useful way of understanding the dramatic changes happening to the environment of the Earth. 
 
But few people know about his early work as a chemist and inventor - work which included inventing the detectors used to search for life on Mars, and blowing the whistle on the depletion of ozone layer. In his personal life, he was a Quaker and conscientious objector in World War Two (later changing his mind in view of the evils of Nazism), supported his family for a time by selling his own blood, and gave up a salary and security to become an independent scientist based in an English village - from which all his best known work emerged. 
 
In the wake of his death on 26th July 2022, his 103rd birthday, this book truly reveals an independent, original and inspiring life.

John and Mary Gribbin are two of today's greatest writers of popular science. Together they have collaborated on many books, including Ice Age, Richard Feynman: A Life in Science and Stardust. John is also the author of bestselling titles including In Search of Schrödinger's Cat, Science: A History and Deep Simplicity.

Jim Lovelock is an iconic figure in British science, a prophet whose prophecies are coming true. This is his definitive authorised biography. Lovelock is best known as the 'father' of Gaia theory, which isnow established as the most useful way of understanding the dramatic changes happening to the environment of the Earth. 
 
But few people know about his early work as a chemist and inventor - work which included inventing the detectors used to search for life on Mars, and blowing the whistle on the depletion of ozone layer. In his personal life, he was a Quaker and conscientious objector in World War Two (later changing his mind in view of the evils of Nazism), supported his family for a time by selling his own blood, and gave up a salary and security to become an independent scientist based in an English village - from which all his best known work emerged. 
 
As he approaches his 90th birthday, looking forward to going into space, this book truly reveals an independent, original and inspiring life.

Science: A History

From award-winning science writer John Gribbin, Science: A History is the enthralling story of the men and women who changed the way we see the world, and the turbulent times they lived in. 
 
 From Galileo, tried by the Inquisition for his ideas, to Newton, who wrote his rivals out of the history books; from Marie Curie, forced to work apart from male students for fear she might excite them, to Louis Agassiz, who marched his colleagues up a mountain to prove that the ice ages had occurred. 
 
 Filled with pioneers, visionaries, eccentrics and madmen, this is the history of science as it has never been told before. 
 
 'Gripping and entertaining ... Wonderfully and pleasurably accessible' &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Independent on Sunday 
 
 'Tremendous ... moves me to bestow a reviewer's cliché I long ago vowed never to use: a tour de force' &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Spectator 
 
 'A magnificent history ... enormously entertaining' &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Daily Telegraph 
 
 'A splendid book ... demolishes innumerable myths and exposes the factual roots of some of science's well known tales (for example, Galileo never dropped weights of different sizes from Pisa's leaning tower)' &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Economist 
 
 'We experience his subjects' triumphs and failures as if we knew them personally ... I found myself whizzing through the pages' &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Sunday Telegraph 
 
 John Gribbin is one of today's greatest writers of popular science and the author of bestselling books, including In Search of Schrödinger's Cat, Stardust, Science: A History and In Search of the Multiverse. Gribbin trained as an astrophysicist at Cambridge University and is currently Visiting Fellow in Astronomy at the University of Sussex.

John Gribbin is one of today's greatest writers of popular science and the author of bestselling books, including In Search of Schrödinger's Cat, Stardust and Deep Simplicity. He is famous to his many fans for making complex ideas simple, and says that his aim in his writing - much of it done with his wife, Mary Gribbin - is to share with his readers his sense of wonder at the strangeness of the universe. John Gribbin trained as an astrophysicist at Cambridge University and is currently Visiting Fellow in Astronomy at the University of Sussex.

In this book, John Gribbin tells the story of the people who made science and the turbulent times they lived in. As well as famous figures such as Copernicus, Darwin and Einstein, there are also the obscure, the eccentric, even the mad. This diversecast includes, among others, Andreas Vesalius, landmark 16th-century anatomist and secret grave-robber; the flamboyant Galileo, accused of heresy for his ideas; the obsessive, competitive Newton, who wrote his rivals out of the history books; GregorMendel, the Moravian monk who founded modern genetics; and Louis Agassiz, so determined to prove the existence of ice ages that he marched his colleagues up a mountain to show them the evidence.

John Gribbin

In Search Of Schrödinger’s Cat is a primer for the magical, near inexplicable world of quantum mechanics; where cats are both dead and alive, and electrons can be in all places at once until you look at them. Mind-blowing.

Precise yet mysterious... as beautiful as a poem and as exciting as a novel.

A gripping account of the history of quantum mechanics and a clear description of its significance - and weirdness. Absolutely fascinating.

John Gribbin is unsurpassed in his ability to convey scientific ideas in lively and accessible language. This new edition of his classic book deserves wide readership. It's specially welcome in the year that marks the centenary of quantum theory – which revolutionised our concept of nature and underpins most of modern technology.

Updated Edition

Quantum theory is so shocking that Einstein could not bring himself to accept it. It is so important that it underpins all modern sciences. Without it, we'd have no molecular biology, no understanding of DNA, no genetic engineering, no computers. 
 
A century after the development of quantum mechanics, In Search of Schrödinger's Cat tells the full story of how scientists reckoned with a truth stranger than any fiction. John Gribbin leads us into the ever more bizarre and fascinating world of the smallest particles we have discovered, requiring only that we approach it with an open mind. He introduces the scientists who developed quantum theory. He investigates the atom, radiation, time travel, the birth of the universe, super conductors and life itself. And in a world full of its own delights, mysteries and surprises, he searches for Schrödinger's Cat - a search for quantum reality - as he brings every reader to a clear understanding of the most important area of scientific study today - quantum physics. 
 
Featuring a new preface to mark the centenary of the field, this bestselling classic remains a fascinating and delightful introduction to the strange world of the quantum - an essential element in understanding the modern world.

John Gribbin

Praise for In Search Of Schrodinger's Cat

In Search Of Schrödinger’s Cat is a primer for the magical, near inexplicable world of quantum mechanics; where cats are both dead and alive, and electrons can be in all places at once until you look a ...

Precise yet mysterious... as beautiful as a poem and as exciting as a novel.

A gripping account of the history of quantum mechanics and a clear description of its significance - and weirdness. Absolutely fascinating.

In Search Of Schrödinger’s Cat is a primer for the magical, near inexplicable world of quantum mechanics; where cats are both dead and alive, and electrons can be in all places at once until you look a ...

Precise yet mysterious... as beautiful as a poem and as exciting as a novel.

A gripping account of the history of quantum mechanics and a clear description of its significance - and weirdness. Absolutely fascinating.

In Search Of Schrödinger’s Cat is a primer for the magical, near inexplicable world of quantum mechanics; where cats are both dead and alive, and electrons can be in all places at once until you look a ...

Precise yet mysterious... as beautiful as a poem and as exciting as a novel.

A gripping account of the history of quantum mechanics and a clear description of its significance - and weirdness. Absolutely fascinating.

Books by John Gribbin

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter