The Elegant Universe cover art

The Elegant Universe

Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Unlimited access to our all-you-can-listen catalogue of 15K+ audiobooks and podcasts
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Elegant Universe

By: Brian Greene
Narrated by: Erik Davies
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

About this listen

 "[Greene] develops one fresh new insight after another...In the great tradition of physicists writing for the masses, The Elegant Universe sets a standard that will be hard to beat." --George Johnson, The New York Times Book Review

In a rare blend of scientific insight and writing as elegant as the theories it explains, Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter-from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas-is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy.

Green uses everything from an amusement park ride to ants on a garden hose to illustrate the beautiful yet bizarre realities that modern physics is unveiling. Dazzling in its brilliance, unprecedented in its ability to both illuminate and entertain, The Elegant Universe is a tour de force of science writing-a delightful, lucid voyage through modern physics that brings us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works.©2003 Brian Greene; (P)2008 Random House Audio Physics Science

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The Fabric of the Cosmos cover art
The Hidden Reality cover art
Something Deeply Hidden cover art
Parallel Worlds cover art
In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality cover art
Quantum Physics for Beginners, Into the Light cover art
Our Mathematical Universe cover art
Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution: Modern Physics for Non-Scientists, 2nd Edition cover art
The Evidence for Modern Physics cover art
Why Does E=MC2 and Why Should We Care cover art
Quantum cover art
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry cover art
Cosmos cover art
American Prometheus cover art
Welcome to the Universe cover art
Origins, Revised and Updated cover art

Critic reviews

"The Elegant Universe is compulsively readable.... Greene threatens to do for string theory what Stephen Hawking did for black holes." -New York

"[An] important book.... The Elegant Universe presents the ideas and aspirations-and some of the characters-of string theory with clarity and charm." -Scientific American

"As good as it gets.... [A] thrilling ride through a lovely landscape." -Los Angeles Times

"[Greene] writes with poetic eloquence and style.... [He] does an admirable job of translating a wholly mathematical endeavor into visual terms." -The Washington Post Book World

"[Greene's metaphors oftten provide beauty and power.... The Elegant Universe is a rewarding read." -Discovery Magazine

"String theory is the hottest idea to emerge in physics since Stephen Hawking gazed into a black hole.... [Greene] explain[s] it in terms that anyone can understand." -San Francisco Chronicle
All stars
Most relevant
Very technical, quite hard to take in at times, but mind bending and perspective changing once you get it, a fantastic collection of information allowing someone like me, shocking at maths, get to grips with the depths of cosmology

Brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I think this is the fourth time I'm listening to it. Finding it very interesting.

Loved it. Very well written very well read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
For me, rolling with much of the narrative was an act of faith. The book iwas worth the effort and felt like a fantastic journey through a world that, till now, had remained inaccessible to me.

A fascinating insight into string theory

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Not just your understanding of the physical world, but you mental, emotional and spiritual world with be touched and challenged with this book.

Helps you understand the world

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
it's difficult to write this review because, although Greene does a good job of explaining abstract concepts, I can't say I understood more than 10% of it. You have to be sure you have understood concepts A to F in order to understand concept G, and after a time I must say I was listening only to catch whatever jist I could, accepting that maybe I'm just not ready for a book like this.

This being said, I'm still inclined to rate the book highly because it does not talk down to its listener, and the narrator paired well with Greene's writing to egg me on to the finish line despite my flagging comprehension. Where Greene succeeds for a listener like myself is in his ability to build up an edifice so towering in its beauty and complexity, that it becomes impossible to deny that whatever it is he is showing you, it is something worth endeavouring to understand. So, I look forward to returning to this book again one day, having been around the path of learning it encouraged me to take.

Challenging and dense, but hints at deeper rewards

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews