Reviews for The Science of Shakespeare: A New Look at the Playwright’s Universe

A "lucid history of early Renaissance science" — The National Post

"...a fascinating and wide-ranging exploration of the astronomical knowledge of the era" — The Chronicle-Herald

"Falk takes the reader on an eventful tour through science in the early modern era...It’s an enjoyable read, and will appeal to non-specialists, but nonetheless is based on a comprehensive engagement with the pertinent academic scholarship. The work is well-informed, enthusiastic, and recommended to anyone seeking a new take on the oft-studied Bard." — Chemistry World

Latest News

Episode 17 of BookLab is now out!

Posted on Monday, May 28, 2018

Episode 17 of BookLab is now out -- featuring books by Antonio Damasio, David Schwartz, and Till Roenneberg:

Star Wars' Newtonian Universe

Posted on Friday, May 4, 2018

As I argue in a new blog post, the Star Wars universe owes more to Newton than to Einstein.

What is relativity? Einstein's mind-bending theory explained

Posted on Friday, April 13, 2018

Everyone has heard of relativity, but how many of us can explain it to a friend? Here's a quick beginner's guide that I wrote for NBCnews.com.

Ten books to read if "A Brief History of Time" was too brief for you

Posted on Friday, April 6, 2018

Following the death of Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time is once again on the bestseller lists. But what if you want more? Amanda Gefter (my co-host for the BookLab podcast) and I suggest these additional books about space and time. (From Undark magazine.)

Episode 16 of BookLab is now out!

Posted on Sunday, April 1, 2018

In a special episode of BookLab, Amanda Gefter and I look back at Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time, 30 years after its publication. (Available on iTunes or on Soundcloud.)

Stephen Hawking: remembering a physics giant

Posted on Wednesday, March 14, 2018

The world has lost a great mind with the death of physicist Stephen Hawking. His ideas were famously inpenetrable, at least for the non-specialist -- but his goal, in fact, was simple. My feature for Undark.

What set A Brief History of Time apart

Posted on Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Against all odds, Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time became a runaway bestseller. In this feature for Slate, I examine why.

Three times Einstein was wrong

Posted on Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Einstein was a genius -- but he was also human. Occasionally, he slipped up. In this feature for NBCnews.com, I look at three of Einstein's biggest mistakes.

 

 

The Slippery Search for Creativity

Posted on Tuesday, February 27, 2018

We admire creativity -- but we also want to dissect it; to understand it. In my first review for the Los Angeles Review of Books, I weigh in on The Runaway Species, by Anthony Brandt and David Eagleman, and Creativity: The Human Brain in the Age of Innovation, by Elkhonon Goldberg.

The real-life science behind "Frankenstein"

Posted on Thursday, February 8, 2018

I explore the real-life science behind Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, published 200 years ago, in this feature for Mental Floss.

 

 

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