Freund P. A Passion for Discovery

World Scientific, 2007. — 221 p.This fascinating book assembles human stories about physicists and mathematicians. Remarkably, these stories cluster around some general themes having to do with the interaction between scientists, and with the impact of historic events — such as the advent of fascism and communism in the twentieth century — on scientists' behavior. Briefly, but lucidly, some of the beautiful science that brought these scientists together in the first place is explained.
Readership: Primarily general readers, and particularly theoretical physicists, mathematicians and high energy experimental physicists.Einstein Once Removed.
Heisenberg’s Turn.
A True Aristocrat.
The Conscience of Physics.
The Wizard of Pasadena.
Back to Maupertuis.
The Language of God.
Emmy Noether and the Urge for the Abstract.
Oswald Teichmueller and Nazi Science.
Spontaneous Breakdown of Human Decency.
Scientists in Politics.
Jews in Science. The Backlash.
Stalin and the Quantum.
Mister Sakharov Goes to Kiev.
Mr. Yang also Goes to Kiev.
The Stone Age and the Fermi Era.
The Serene Sensei.
Oppenheimer, Hero or Antihero?
Viennese Physics, Then and Now.
The Importance of a Sense of Humor.
The Russian Style.
Chandra, Passionate Cambridge Gentleman.
On and Off the Map: Romanian Mathematics.
Du côté de chez Telegdi, the Experimental Side.
Leader of the Pack.
New Dimensions.
A Brief History of Space.
The Coming Age.
Epilogue: The Goal and the Means.
Sources, Comments and Some More Stories Masquerading as Comments.