Maker of Patterns: An Autobiography Through Letters
Dyson, Freeman
Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore, Harrisburg, PA, U.S.A.
AbeBooks Seller since June 7, 2002
Used - Hardcover
Condition: Used - Fair
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketSold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore, Harrisburg, PA, U.S.A.
AbeBooks Seller since June 7, 2002
Condition: Used - Fair
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketThis is a damaged book. May be ex-library, water-damaged, or spine creased/broken. Acceptable, Reading copy only, with writing/markings and heavy wear. Standard-sized.
Seller Inventory # mon0000298234
Both recalling his life story and recounting many of the major advances in twentieth-century science, a renowned physicist shares his autobiography through letters.
Having penned hundreds of letters to his family over four decades, Freeman Dyson has framed them with the reflections made by a man now in his nineties. While maintaining that “the letters record the daily life of an ordinary scientist doing ordinary work,” Dyson nonetheless has worked with many of the twentieth century’s most renowned physicists, mathematicians, and intellectuals, so that Maker of Patterns presents not only his personal story but chronicles through firsthand accounts an exciting era of twentieth-century science.
Though begun in the dark year of 1941 when Hitler’s armies had already conquered much of Europe, Dyson’s letters to his parents, written at Trinity College, Cambridge, often burst with the curiosity of a precocious seventeen-year-old. Pursuing mathematics and physics with a cast of legendary professors, Dyson thrived in Cambridge’s intellectual ferment, working on, for example, the theory of partitions or reading about Kurt Gödel’s hypotheses, while still finding time for billiards and mountain climbing. After graduating and serving with the Royal Air Force’s Bomber Command operational research section, whose job it was “to demolish German cities and kill as many German civilians as possible,” Dyson visited a war-torn Germany, hoping through his experience to create a “tolerably peaceful world.”
Juxtaposing descriptions of scientific breakthroughs with concerns for mankind’s future, Dyson’s postwar letters reflect the quandaries faced by an entire scientific generation that was dealing with the aftereffects of nuclear detonations and concentration camp killings. Arriving in America in 1947 to study with Cornell’s Hans Bethe, Dyson continued to send weekly missives to England that were never technical but written with grace and candor, creating a portrait of a generation that was eager, as Einstein once stated, to solve “deep mysteries that Nature intend[ed] to keep for herself.”
We meet, among others, scientists like Richard Feynman, who took Dyson across country on Route 66, Robert Oppenheimer, Eugene Wigner, Niels Bohr, James Watson, and a young Stephen Hawking; and we encounter intellectuals and leaders, among them Reinhold Niebuhr, George Kennan, Arthur C. Clarke, as well as Martin Luther King, Jr.
The “patterns of comparable beauty in the dance of electrons jumping around atoms” invariably replicate themselves in this autobiography told through letters, one that combines accounts of wanton arms development with the not-inconsiderable demands of raising six children. As we once again attempt to guide society toward a more hopeful future, these letters, with their reenactment of what, at first, seems like a distant past, reveal invaluable truths about human nature.
5 illustrations"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
We guarantee the condition of every book as it is described on the Abebooks website. If you are dissatisfied with your purchase (Incorrect Book/Not as Described/Damaged) or if the order has not arrived, you may be eligible for a refund within 30 days of the estimated delivery date. If you have changed your mind about a book that you have ordered, please use the Ask bookseller a question link to contact us and our customer service team will typically respond within 2 business days.
* * * All books are packed with great care! * * * DOMESTIC SHIPPING OPTIONS for standard-sized books: USPS PRIORITY MAIL (takes business 3-7 days to arrive in the continental U.S.) - $9.00 for the 1st book and $6.00 for a 2nd book. ... BOOK RATE SHIPPING ("media mail", takes 1-4 weeks to arrive in the continental U.S.; please note that media mail delivery to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, APO/FPO addresses, and US territories can take 6-8 weeks) - $6.00 for the 1st book and $3.00 for each additional book. MEDIA MAIL BOOKS ARE TYPICALLY SEALED IN A HIGH-QUALITY PLASTIC BAG AND THEN PACKAGED IN A STRONG CARDBOARD BOX. Some extremely small, very light items receive a First-Class upgrade and may ship in a First-Class bubblewrap-lined mailer. ... AIRMAIL SHIPPING TO CANADA: Price varies based on rate. Please contact us for details. Oversized or heavy items may require additional postage.... OTHER INTERNATIONAL AIRMAIL SHIPPING: Shipping by DHL service whenever possible with typical delivery in 5-14 business days. Oversized or heavy items may require additional postage.... If your book is HEAVY or OVERSIZED, we will contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.
| Order quantity | 7 to 21 business days | 3 to 7 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | US$ 6.00 | US$ 9.00 |
Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.