The New York Times Book of Physics and Astronomy provides us with a selection of articles from the New York Times which covers the last decades of the nineteenth century through the first decades of the twenty-first century. We begin with the discovery of x-rays, for which Roentgen received the first Nobel Prize in physics, and go through the most recent entry of July 4, 2012 on the discovery of the Higgs particle at the LHC. There is even a book review of A Universe from Nothing by Lawrence Krauss, published just last year. The articles are divided into sections generally covering such subjects as the nature of matter, applications of science, and cosmology.

I often find that my background as a physicist is necessary to the proper understanding of books written by physicists supposedly for a general audience. However, this compilation is different. The original news articles were written for the public, e.g., the readers of the New York Times. Thus, there is no requirement for the reader to have a Ph.D. to enjoy the book.

The articles are an interpretation by reporters of what physicists have conveyed to them about the reality which has been discovered. Where there are discrepancies between what is reported and what we know today, it is hard to tell whether the discrepancy lies with the incomplete knowledge of the scientists of the time or with the interpretation of the reporters. In the process, certainly the reporters did not get everything exactly right, but what impresses me is how much they did get right. Altogether, I found this book, despite its over 500 pages, to be an easy read.

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