Time Travel

A History

By: James Gleick

Narrated by: Rob Shapiro

“A time-jumping, head-tripping odyssey.” —The Millions
“A bracing swim in the waters of science, technology and fiction.” —Washington Post
“A thrilling journey of ideas.” —Boston Globe

From the acclaimed author of The Information and Chaos, here is a mind-bending exploration of time travel: its subversive origins, its evolution in literature and science, and its influence on our understanding of time itself.

The story begins at the turn of the previous century, with the young H. G. Wells writing and rewriting the fantastic tale that became his first book and an international sensation: The Time Machine. It was an era when a host of forces was converging to transmute the human understanding of time, some philosophical and some technological: the electric telegraph, the steam railroad, the discovery of buried civilizations, and the perfection of clocks. James Gleick tracks the evolution of time travel as an idea that becomes part of contemporary culture—from Marcel Proust to Doctor Who, from Jorge Luis Borges to Woody Allen. He investigates the inevitable looping paradoxes and examines the porous boundary between pulp fiction and modern physics. Finally, he delves into a temporal shift that is unsettling our own moment: the instantaneous wired world, with its all-consuming present and vanishing future.

(With a color frontispiece and black-and-white illustrations throughout)

Cluttered and Unfocused

My biggest criticism is that the book didn’t seem to have a focus or a point. It jumped around from time travel in fiction, to theoretical approaches to time travel in physics, to the philosophical question of what time is at its essence and how we perceive it. But it tackled none of these topics particularly well. It just seemed as though the author said, “I want to write about time travel” and then sat down to write whatever came to his mind, without much form or function, and even worse, without focus.

I just don’t know what the point of the book was. And that’s too bad because I really wanted to like it.

Time Traveling

A very good survey of time and time travel via books, short stories, film, philosophy, and science. Much of it is point of view about what time is or isn't and how it may be cause and effect or not. Gives one a lot to consider. Worthwhile as the author presents lots of different views on a timely topic.

Interesting !

this book is a thrilling exploration of our culture and philosophy through time travel. Its a different kind of book with a very diff, story and very diff, characters . Its a good read but the second part seams to be quite stretched .Except that this one is a fabulous book.

Not great

Mostly a collection of plot summaries of sci-fi novels. Very disappointing compared to "The Information."

a great read very interesting good narrator

Very enjoyable and interesting read. The discussion is very thought provoking. All of Mr. Gleick's books are excellent. Narrator is excellent. Highly recommend.