Light Years: An Exploration Of Mankind's Enduring Fascination With Light

'Light Years' is a journey through time, telling the story of the individuals who were determined to unlock the secrets of this mysterious natural force. While to ancient Egyptians light was the sight of the great god Ra, the Greeks saw light as a fire the poured from the eyes to illuminate all they beheld. From the Renaissance through to our own time the revelations of the true nature of light have become ever more astounding.

We have moved from Newton's dissection of the colours of the spectrum to Faraday and Maxwell's revelation of light's basis in electricity and magnetism. And in the new millennium we are confronting the possibility that light may allow us to send messages backwards in time. We are only just beginning to understand the true power of light.

Brian Clegg's book is awesome in scope and vision, providing the first accessible and engrossing exploration of this most nebulous yet transcendental force in our universe.