Preface; 1. Early years; 2. Discovery of quantum mechanics; 3. Relativity and spinning electrons; 4. Travels and thinking; 5. The dream of philosophers; 6. Quanta and fields; 7. Fifty years of a physicist's life; 8. 'The so-called quantum electrodynamics'; 9. Electrons and ether; 10. Just a disappointment; 11. Adventures in cosmology; 12. The purest soul; 13. Philosophy in physics; 14. The principle of mathematical beauty; Appendices; Bibliography of P. A. M. Dirac; Notes and references; General bibliography; Index of names; Index of subjects.
The first full length biography of Dirac, one of the most brilliant physicists of the twentieth century.
"...a delightful and instructive evocation of a remarkable human being by way of a judicious and documented passage downstream following the flow of modern physics." Scientific American "...an important, highly professional contribution to the history of quantum theory." Science "The entire biography is harmonic and a very interesting work created from previously unpublished documents." Physics in Canada "One of the valuable features of Kragh's fine if impersonal biography is that he dispels the myths surrounding Dirac and paints a portrait that clearly indicates Dirac's limitations without diminishing his greatness." Physics Today "This 'scientific biography' should be widely read by physicists." Walter J. Moore, American Historical Review "The text has accounts of his life and extraordinary character with outlines of his achievements skilfully interwoven." N. Kemmer, Nature "...will be most appreciated by those readers already acquainted with the relevant physics and, moreover, something of its historical development." Peter R. Law, Mathematical Reviews
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