One of the most important contemporary theoretical physicists reveals to us the ten most significant ideas that illuminate what each of us needs to know about the physical world. In his new book The Fundamentals, Nobel laureate Wilczek invites the reader on a simple yet in-depth exploration of reality based on the major discoveries of modern science.

With clarity and a contagious sense of joy, he explains the fundamental concepts that shape our understanding of what the world is and how it works. Through the pages of the book, we can see reality in a new way — higher, fuller, and more unusual. By combining fundamental questions, facts, and conjectures, Wilczek examines the ideas that shape our perception of the Universe: time, space, matter, energy, complexity, and complementarity.

He excavates the history of fundamental science, examining what we know and how we know it, while journeying into the horizons of scientific development to give us a taste of what we may soon discover. Shining, clear, and accessible, this celebration of human ingenuity and imagination will expand your mind and your world.

What they said about the book: • “If you went back just two hundred years and told the world what we knew, from the beginnings of the Universe to the molecular basis of life, and how strange and counterintuitive Nature is on the atomic scale, they would think you were crazy. But if you showed them what we have created with that knowledge, they would believe we were wizards. In this exciting and particularly accessible book, Frank Wilczek shows how the immense edifice that constitutes modern science was built from just a few ingredients and assumptions.” — Venki Ramakrishnan, Nobel Prize in Chemistry

• “How is the Universe assembled? Beneath the murky clamor of the world around us lies a hidden realm of delicate mathematical beauty, a backdrop of fundamental principles upon which all Nature rests. Few living scientists have accomplished more than Frank Wilczek in helping to uncover this deeper layer of existence.” — Paul Davies, Professor of Theoretical Physics, Arizona State University

• “The Fundamentals reflects the extraordinary intellectual range of Frank Wilczek as one of the most respected, original, and bold physicists of our time. [...] In the ten chapters of the book, the reader has the opportunity to follow this great mind on its journey from the realm of discoveries to the kingdom of conjectures and to enjoy the mysteries of the Universe.” — Janna Levin, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Barnard College, Columbia University

• “Frank Wilczek is not only one of the greatest physicists in the world; he is also one of the most important decipherers of its secrets. [...] The Fundamentals is a clear, beautiful, and enlightening book.” — Steven Strogatz, Professor of Applied Mathematics, Cornell University

• “A very rare book. Frank manages to inspire us, transporting us to the wonderland of modern physics, without any compromise in the data.” — V.S. Ramachandran, Professor of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego

• “A divine and alluring overview of the fundamental facts of physical reality.” — Steven Pinker, Professor of Cognitive Science, Harvard University

• “A clear and gripping narrative of the fundamental principles — which are not just valid data for how the world works but also a ‘way of thinking that allowed us to discover them.’” ― Scientific American

• “The Fundamentals is a captivating chronicle of human understanding of reality, written by a key contributor to the clarification of its recent mysteries.” ― Science

• “A wonderful book. [...] Frank Wilczek is a rare creature: a first-class scientist and an exceptionally talented communicator.” ― Physics World

• “Wilczek is a true visionary.” ― The Times (London)

• “Whether you’re accustomed to reading physics for pleasure or not, Wilczek's The Fundamentals may just be the perfect book for this pandemic year.” ― The New York Times

• “You don’t need to know calculus. On the contrary, the author discusses modern physics and cosmology from a broader and philosophical viewpoint, often linking their findings to the real world.” ― The Washington Post