Prometheus Publications Reader Reviews

Review 1:

Brilliant to the mind and the eye! People have been writing books for ages, but rarely do they write anything of the depth and beauty as The Nightingales. Each chapter is built around a single great idea that’s common to art, science, and, nature. Well worth reading and reflecting on.

If you want gossip and Hollywood movie stars, this is definitely not the book for you.

William Benson,  opinionated senior

Review 2:

Nearly 200 years ago, the poet John Keats wrote:

Beauty is truth, truth beauty, that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

Gordon Harrison thinks so, too. His book is a blessed relief from the untruths, ignorance, and sheer materialistic crassness of our times, which do add up to ugliness.

Harrison explains it best, in his preface:

"We live in the greatest scientific age of all time; yet we live in the most innumerate of times. Our science writers need to inspire us with the beauty and power of their art, the same stirring splendor found in literature and music. We need writers like Shelley whose description of the mundane water cycle in the final stanza of The Cloud can rouse a class from somnolence. We need to touch people with the profound beauty common to art and science. This is my motivation!" 

Harrison succeeds brilliantly. He devotes each of nine chapters to exploring a single idea that is common to art, science, and nature, then pulls it all together in the final 10th chapter. To give structure to the book, he employs two semi-historical characters from the Iliad and the Odyssey, one an engineer/scientist, and one a poet/minstrel, who survive to comment through the centuries, and are good friends.

Despite the mathematical foundations of the ideas discussed, which are thus rock-solid, it is possible to skip the equations and enjoy the ideas. These are demonstrated through charts and graphs and a wealth of beautiful illustrations, of animals and plants, water-drops and fractals, classical paintings and the heavens, and why the Parthenon looks just right.

We are told why coincidences are not surprising, and how Harrison and a boy-cousin, as children roaming the countryside, noticed that there are only certain numbers of petals that a flower can have. Only later did he learn about the Fibonacci sequence, where numbers are generated, starting with one, by adding the two previous numbers to get the next one. Flowers obey mathematical laws. There can be three, five, eight, 13 or 21 petals, but rarely four or 12.

The text is rich and readable, and appeals to both intellect and emotions, combining art and science, history, literature, and legend, in lucid prose gently spiced with humour.

This is a Peterborough book, written by a retired teacher of mathematics at Kenner Collegiate, who has consulted with some of his former colleagues. It is published in Peterborough. But the scope, importance, and appeal of this book are universal. It deserves to make a very big splash indeed, and to be read all over the world.

It is the ideal antidote to the mental sclerosis that afflicts too many people, especially those who seem to believe that progress in human understanding of the world ceased hundreds, or even thousands, of years ago. Unlike the pursuit of trivia, this is fact-gathering that can lead to wisdom, joy, and probably even to ethical behaviour.

 Jennie Carter is a former MPP for Peterborough and a former provincial cabinet minister.
 

Review 3:

Lavishly illustrated ... an enjoyable romp through the mysteries of mathematics... engaging.
Dave Thomas, Physicist and President of the New Mexico Skeptics

Review 4:

An enlightening read that explores or rather tells the “story” of symmetry and balance in nature. And an intriguing “story” it is too, framed in the context of two semi-historic characters Epius and Phemius who humorously argue their convictions from the perspectives of science/math and the arts respectively. Through their entertaining banter, the reader soon discovers that each of them has valid justifications for his points of view; Epius and Phemius agree to disagree while respecting their differing positions.

The left-brain (logical) and the right-brain (creative) dominances affect how we process our surroundings. Regardless of the language “spoken” (science or art), the bottom line is: nature with its abundantly rich patterns is truly awesome! This comes across eloquently in the author’s highly effective choice of words and passionate voice that resonates throughout the text and aligns with fabulous coloured illustrations.

I shall never again look at a sunflower quite in the same way.  

Giselle Whyte, Brock University, Faculty of Education, Instructor

Review 5:

The Nightingales of Heraclitus is a fascinating book about the human need to understand the connections operating in the universe surrounding us.  Gordon Harrison illustrates relationships between space and the structures it permits, natural selection and change, order and chaos, numbers and nature, and economy and symmetry to name but a few.  He shows how artists, mathematicians and scientists have all made significant contributions to the understanding of these connections from earliest times. He also discusses the human tendency to see patterns where none exist and to accept uncritically conclusions which are unproven, with sometimes terrible consequences.  Mr. Harrison’s, canvas is the universe itself from the subatomic scale to the galactic and from the earliest times to the present.  His brush is the scientific method and his pigments are rationality, humour and boundless enthusiasm. This well-written book is copiously and beautifully illustrated and sure to fascinate anyone who subscribes to Plato’s dictum that “the life which is unexamined is not worth living”.  Though algebraic expressions appear at times throughout the book, the gist of the arguments can be gleaned without a detailed understanding of the mathematics.

Richard and Cory Wink, teachers

Review 6: ARTS  AND SCIENCE  MASTERPIECE !

A brilliant piece of work for those who appreciate the history and culture of arts and science. No need to be a scientist here! If you have ever enjoyed David Suzuki's "Nature of Things," or Jay Ingram's Discovery Channel, then this is for you! This would also be a great gift for those readers on your Christmas list who are difficult to buy for. Exceptionally well illustrated, the book is a pleasure to hold....

CARLO  LISI,  BSc, MRT(N), Medical Technologist
 

Review 7: IDEAS:

"Ideas are at least as powerful agents for change as material exigencies, economic needs, environmental constraints, and all the other proposed determinants." So writes noted Oxford historian Fernandez-Armesto in his overview of scores of ideas dating back to prehistoric times. The book is culturally inclusive. Each idea is examined and generously illustrated,  with suggested readings and links to other ideas in the book. This wide-ranging volume offers great browsing with a panoply of ideas for consideration.

This copiously illustrated book begins more than 30 millennia ago and portrays human history as the product of a series of intellectual and conceptual discoveries. The author shows how our ancestors pulled themselves out of prehistory by realizing that symbols could be used to express ideas; by grasping that what we see is not necessarily what is--by, in short, having the big idea that the world operates according to rules that can be understood. By extending the history of ideas to prehistory (most histories of ideas "start late in the day, with the invention of writing"), Harrison offers a wealth of insights and new ways of looking at human evolution. That's not to say, however, that he doesn't cover more modern ground. Key intellectual moments in the development of science, government, society, and religion are all surveyed in accessible prose and with hundreds of fascinating illustrations. This is obviously not the last word on the history of ideas, but it makes a fascinating place to start.

Anonymous

Review 8: The Power of Ideas:

The world is filled with ideas!  Some are ancient while others are new.  Some are neutral, some are decidedly harmful, and some are most potently useful.  Gordon Harrison, in his recent book The Nightingales of Heraclitus, masterfully uses text and illustrations to elucidate how a few relatively simple ideas can have the most profound impact upon our understanding and appreciation of the physical world that surrounds us, by describing it accurately and in exquisite detail.  He also elaborates how some people have gone seriously astray in their application of these ideas.  Harrison’s book, from modest first principles, launches the reader into a exhilarating exploration of the Cosmos that is both compelling and breathtaking.  And, as the reader need not be an expert in either math or science, this book is accessible to virtually anyone who shares the belief that awesome power can reside in ideas.
 
Jerry Larock, Elementary Teacher

Review 9: A Joy to Read!

I have had the pleasure of having been a student of Gordon Harrison when he was a mathematics high school teacher and the enthusiasm that he conveyed in class for the subject is demonstrated in this book as well!

The book is a pleasure on a number of levels - an overview of some important mathematical ideas, a recounting of history and an entertaining collection of insightful narratives. Having read the book once, I continue to pick it up to revisit topics of interest and each time I find myself intrigued by the subject matter. The book is well illustrated and specific areas of interest can be addressed without loss of continuity. A great read that makes accessible the beauty of mathematics.  Well done!

Dr. Michael Schweigert, Occupational Medicine Specialist (math pupil and enthusiast)
 

 

Feel free to state your own opinion of this book at book@cardano.ca