Time Travel: A History [Paperback]

Best Books of 2016
BOSTON GLOBE * THE ATLANTIC


From the acclaimed bestselling author of The Information and Chaos comes this enthralling history of time travel—a concept that has preoccupied physicists and storytellers over the course of the last century.

James Gleick delivers a mind-bending exploration of time travel—from its origins in literature and science to its influence on our understanding of time itself. Gleick vividly explores physics, technology, philosophy, and art as each relates to time travel and tells the story of the concept's cultural evolutions—from H.G. Wells to Doctor Who, from Proust to Woody Allen. He takes a close look at the porous boundary between science fiction and modern physics, and, finally, delves into what it all means in our own moment in time—the world of the instantaneous, with its all-consuming present and vanishing future.“Exhilarating. . . . A veritable theme park of playful attractions, which Mr. Gleick explores with infectious gusto.”
—The Wall Street Journal

“A fascinating mash-up of philosophy, literary criticism, physics and cultural observation. . . . A wonderful reminder that the most potent time-traveling technology we have is also the oldest technology we have: storytelling.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“Mind-blowing. . . . A fascinating argument that the most important time is the present.”
—TIME Magazine