One Two Three…Infinity

By George Gamow

Words from the achiever

“One book, which I found in 1947 when I was 15 was the book by George Gamow called One, Two, Three… Infinity, which I still re-read from time to time. It’s just a book describing the wonders of nature and, to the extent that a high school kid could understand, how we understand things about nature. That was one book I really appreciated. I remember it cost $3.75 which, in those days, was a lot. I bought it and said to my father, “I spent $3.75 on this book,” which was like a month’s allowance. And he said, “If you are going to learn something from a book then it’s worth it. Pay anything for a book if the book is useful to you.” At these key points my parents came in handy and said the right things.”

About the book

A nuclear physicist’s witty exploration of the scientific puzzles of the universe, simple and complex.