Traveling with the Atom: A Scientific Guide to Europe and Beyond

Traveling with the Atom is a historical travel guide to the development of one of the most significant and enduring ideas in the history of humankind: the atomic concept. This history covers the notable places and landmarks commemorating this achievement, visiting homesteads, graveyards, laboratories, apartments, abbeys and castles, through picturesque rural villages and working class municipalities. From Montreal to Manchester, via some of the most elegant and romantic cities in Europe, Traveling with the Atom guides the reader on a trip through the lives and minds of the great thinkers who collectively unveiled the mystery of the atom. Fully illustrated and interspersed with intriguing and insightful notes throughout, this book is an ideal companion for the wandering scientist, their students, friends and companions or quintessential fireside reading for lovers of science and travel. The atomic concept is perhaps one of the most significant and enduring ideas in the history of humankind and to truly appreciate the labour that the great minds of the age expended upon atomic theory one can scarcely do better than trace their footsteps throughout Europe and across the globe. From Parisian museums to the legendary Cavendish laboratory - via Christchurch, Montreal and Pennsylvania - Traveling with the Atom sketches the development of the atomic concept through the places and people central to the advances in our understanding of the particles forming our entire physical universe. An ideal travelling companion or fireside read, this book will intrigue and amuse anyone with an interest in the history of science.