Editions

There Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important Than Kindness

  • Imprint: Allen Lane

  • ISBN: 9780241454688

  • Length: 240  Pages

  • Dimensions: 222mm x 25mm x 144mm

  • Weight: 349g

  • RRP: £20.00

There Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important Than Kindness

'A joy of a book - enriching, illuminating, eclectic and far from a conventional science read' Richard Webb, New Scientist

'The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius for our age' Robert Fox

One of the most inspiring thinkers of our age, the bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics transforms the way we think about the world with his reflections on science, history and humanity

In this collection of writings, the logbook of an intelligence always on the move, Carlo Rovelli follows his curiosity and invites us on a voyage through science, history, philosophy and politics.

Written with his usual clarity and wit, these pieces range widely across time and space: from Newton's alchemy to Einstein's mistakes, from Nabokov's butterflies to Dante's cosmology, from travels in Africa to the consciousness of an octopus, from mind-altering psychedelic substances to the meaning of atheism.

Charming, pithy and elegant, this book is the perfect gateway to the universe of one of the most influential scientists of our age.

  • Imprint: Allen Lane

  • ISBN: 9780241454688

  • Length: 240  Pages

  • Dimensions: 222mm x 25mm x 144mm

  • Weight: 349g

  • RRP: £20.00

Reviews

  • Superb. Rovelli's journalism is an expression of the scientific desire to know and understand the world. Beautifully translated by Erica Segre and Simon Carnell, There Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important than Kindness continues a tradition of jargon-free popular scientific writing from Galileo to Darwin that disappeared in the academic specialization of the last century

    Ian Thomson, Evening Standard

  • With the publication of his million-selling book Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, Rovelli took his place with Stephen Hawking and Richard Feynman as one of the great popularisers of modern theoretical physics

    Sam Leith, Spectator

  • The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius for our age

    Robert Fox

  • Modern physics has found its poet. . . Rovelli is a wonderfully humane, gentle and witty guide for he is as much philosopher and poet as he is a scientist

    John Banville, Irish Times

  • The most fun physicist to be with -- as well as the greatest explainer of physics

    Bryan Appleyard, Sunday Times

  • A joy of a book - enriching, illuminating, eclectic and far from a conventional science read. . . showcases the light and shade of Rovelli's writing, and the passion for knowledge and curiosity that make him such an engaging writer . . . We need more Rovellis

    Richard Webb, New Scientist

  • Rovelli is a brilliant and lucid teacher who uses his understanding of theoretical physics and the quantum world to talk about the complexity of our everyday reality

    Russell Brand

  • This short collection of writings has something to offer for avid admirers of his work and new Rovelli readers alike

    Science Focus

  • Rovelli opens windows onto the imagination for all of us

    Antony Gormley

  • Carlo Rovelli, one of our age's most inspiring thinkers, offers intellectual adventures for the curious

    Time Out

More from this Author

About the Author

Carlo Rovelli

Carlo Rovelli is a theoretical physicist who has made significant contributions to the physics of space and time. He has worked in Italy and the US, and is currently directing the quantum gravity research group of the Centre de physique théorique in Marseille, France. His books Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, Reality Is Not What It Seems and The Order of Time are international bestsellers which have been translated into forty-one languages.

Carlo Rovelli

Read more

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Extracts

Vladimir Nabokov: novelist, poet… esteemed butterfly scientist?

In this essay from his forthcoming collection, There Are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important Than Kindness, titled ‘Lolita and the Blue Icarus’, Carlo Rovelli writes about Nabokov’s foray into lepidoptery – and his surprising recognition as “a scientist of real worth”.
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Features

Listen to audiobooks read by Oscar winners and nominees

Oscars season is upon us – did you know that some of the Best Actress and Best Actor nominees narrated Penguin audiobooks? Listen to some familiar faces read aloud from much-loved titles below.
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Features

6 things to know about The Order of Time

We're excited to announce that Benedict Cumberbatch will be reading the audiobook for Carlo Rovelli's new book, The Order of Time. Here we share with you six interesting facts about the collaboration.

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