We have grown accustomed to the idea that scientific theories are embedded in their place and time. But in the case of the development of mathematical physics i

Venture into the eerie and enigmatic with Ambrose Bierce’s collection of supernatural tales, "Can Such Things Be." This gripping anthology explores the bounda

The author of more than 2,000 books and pamphlets, Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet, 1694-1778) was one of the most prolific writers of the eighteenth century,

The inimitable Nancy Mitford’s account of Voltaire’s fifteen-year relationship with the Marquise du Châtelet—the renowned mathematician who introduced Is

We think of Voltaire as the epitome of the Enlightenment; in his own time he was also the most famous and controversial figure in Europe. Davidson tells the who