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Quanta to publish popular math and physics books by Terence Tao and David Tong(simonsfoundation.org)
95 points by digital55 5 hours ago | 24 comments
srean 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I might be unusual in the sense that in my teens I absolutely adored Asimov as a writer of non-fiction rather than as a sci-fi author.

For the current generation, I never miss a chance to mention Gamow's non-fiction.

It's unfortunate that works of great non-fiction writers evaporate away from our cultural consciousness after their death.

It makes me sad that there will be a generation, or maybe it's already upon us, one that has not delighted in Martin Gardner.

akashshah87 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

>> I might be unusual in the sense that in my teens I absolutely adored Asimov as a writer of non-fiction rather than as a sci-fi author.

That's because he was only the second-best sci-fi writer but the best science writer in the world at the time [Clarke-Asimov Treaty of Park Avenue|https://sfandfantasy.co.uk/php/the-big-3.php]

srean 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Ha!

I did not know about this. Arthur C Clarke was indeed my favourite at that time (even now).

Asimov, however, killed it with his two goosebump-good shorts, Nightfall and Last Question.

pavel_lishin 2 hours ago | parent [-]

I don't remember reading any Clarke short stories, though I do remember a few books favorably - but Asimov's stories were incredible, and stick with me to this day. I should get a few more of his short story collections for the kiddo, I think I have a few of his non-fiction ones on a bookshelf somewhere.

lo_zamoyski an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

If Lem was there, he would likely have agreed to dedicate his books to "the best third-rate scifi writers", given his generally critical view of American/Western scifi as naive, "commercial trash", and shallow entertainment.

srean an hour ago | parent [-]

Too bad that I wouldn't be able to read Lem in the original. It's not an easy language to learn, is what I hear.

the__alchemist 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Sagan's books are still very popular, long after his time.

veqq 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Which of Gamow's do you recommend? Physics Foundation and Frontiers looks nice.

srean 3 hours ago | parent [-]

My favorite is one two three ... infinity.

asimoff 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> I absolutely adored Asimov as a writer of non-fiction rather than as a sci-fi author.

I am the same, though frustratingly he still somehow managed to weave his casual misogyny into even his non-fiction works.

sam_lowry_ an hour ago | parent | next [-]

Says an account created just to post this horseshit.

asimoff an hour ago | parent [-]

Clearly you and I have different definitions of "horseshit".

Is this your immature way of asking for an example of what I am addressing in my comment?

falcor84 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I don't know if it says good or bad things about me, but I never noticed that.

But maybe it's just because I started reading his works long after their initial release. In particular, I was quite surprised to later learn that "Asimov's New Guide to Science" was originally published as "The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science".

apnorton 38 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It's interesting to see Quanta make a foray into print publishing. I've long-wished for a print form of Quanta math articles in a monthly magazine, so maybe there is some hope for that eventually?

molticrystal 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

From the Quanta Books website [0] it seems it will be a while before anybody can read them, the article lists a couple dates but all the dates are on its website.

Everything Is Fields By David Tong (Early 2027)

Six Math Essentials By Terence Tao (November 2026)

The Proof in the Code By Kevin Hartnett (June 2026, Preorder Available)

[0] https://www.quantabooks.org/

marhee 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I will definitely reads these books when they come out.

For a historic overview of mathematics with (accessible) formulas I highly recommend “Journey through genius: The great theorems of mathematics”.

the__alchemist 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Fantastic! Quanta is a treasure. The only news site I read; got too tilted with how violence-oriented and vulgar most news sources have become.

shric an hour ago | parent [-]

> The only news site I read

If you haven’t tried it already I highly recommend Hacker News.

thekevan 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Dr David Tong is great ad his talk really created my interest in quantum physics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNVQfWC_evg

adolph 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I had the thought that maybe the Australian airline had started a book side business, a la Stripe, but no, the airline is actually Quantas. Still seems like an imprint to follow.

  Launched by Thomas Lin, the founding editor of Quanta Magazine, in 
  partnership with Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Quanta Books is an editorially 
  independent subsidiary of the Simons Foundation, a nonprofit organization 
  dedicated to advancing the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic 
  sciences. 
https://www.quantabooks.org/
quickthrowman 3 hours ago | parent [-]

The Simons Foundation was started by Jim Simons of Renaissance Tech, someone who seemingly isnt actively trying to poison public discourse with his billions of dollars, which I respect. We need more Jim Simons types and less Bezos/Musk/Ellison-type narcissistic psychopaths.

prof-dr-ir 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Since May 2024 he isn't actively trying anything at all.

homarp 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

If you're curious about Simons, and the wikipedia page is not enough, I found "The Man Who Solved the Market" by Gregory Zuckerman an interesting read.

auntienomen 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

His foundations are still doing good work.