The Structure of Simplicity

Discerning historians have long suspected creativity in the arts and creativity in the sciences to be related in some mysterious way. This book attempts to dispel the mystery by analyzing the works, and the working methods of an artist and a scientist of acknowledged genius - the poet Emily Dickinson and the theoretical physicist Willard Gibbs. The comparison is given force, not only by the analysis, but also by the similarities in their lives and surroundings; both were products of the late nineteenth century mini-renaissance that flowered briefly in New England. In the end, the boundary between the "two cultures" begins to fade, and theoretical physics emerges as a form of poetry.

Dr. Terry Triffet was a brilliant physicist and engineering scientist, known internationally for his work in mathematical modelling. He held five degrees from several universities, including a Ph.D. from Stanford, and claimed to be an honorary Australian, having spent several years there. Until his passing in 2003, Dr Triffet lived with his with his wife, Middy, in Tucson, Arizona with their three children and grandchildren "nestled nearby" in the West.