The New World of Mr Tompkins

George Gamow (1904 to 1968) was not only one of the most influential physicists of the twentieth century (one of the founders of the Big Bang theory) but was also a master at science popularisation. Of his many popular books, the best known is Mr Tompkins in Paperback (1965). Russell Stannard has established a reputation as one of the most gifted popularisers of science through numerous media appearances and projects, and in particular for his Uncle Albert Trilogy (The Time and Space of Uncle Albert, Black Holes and Uncle Albert and the Quantum Quest), which covers the work of Albert Einstein and quantum theory in a way that is accessible to children of 11+. These books have enjoyed much success and critical acclaim, being translated into 15 languages, shortlisted for the Rhone-Poulenc non-fiction Book Prizes, the Whitbread Children's Novel of the Year, and the American Science Writing Award.

'The best just got better. Two of the most influential popular science books ever were Mr Tompkins in Wonderland (1940) and Mr Tompkins Explores the Atom (1945) … They were brought together in one volume, slightly updated, and reprinted in 1965 as Mr Tompkins in Paperback … Russell Stannard, the very best writer of science books for young readers [has updated Mr Tompkins] with immense care and subtlety, rearranging the text, adding new material and changing a word or two where necessary … I had two fears - that my remembered delight in the original would be destroyed by looking at it through more mature eyes, and that Stannard might spoil the book. Both were unfounded. There is a certain period charm about the original, but Stannard has improved on both the physics and the narrative … It is absolutely the best place to get a feel for the most important scientific ideas of the twentieth century.' John Gribbin, The Independent

• Revisor's foreword; Gamow's preface; 1. City speed limit; 2. The professor's lecture on relativity which caused Mr Tompkins' dream; 3. Mr Tompkins takes a holiday; 4. Notes of the professor's lecture on curved space; 5. Mr Tompkins visits a closed universe; 6. Cosmic opera; 7. Black holes, heat death and blow torch; 8. Quantum snooker; 9. The quantum safari; 10. Maxwell's demon; 11. The merry tribe of electrons; 11.1/2. The remainder of the previous lecture through which Mr Tompkins dozed; 12. Inside the nucleus; 13. The woodcarver; 14. Holes in nothing; 15. Visiting the 'atom smasher'; 16. The professor's last lecture; 17. Epilogue.