
Invisible: The Dangerous Allure of the Unseen (Hardback)
Philip Ball (author)
£25.00
Hardback
336 Pages /
Published: 31/07/2014
- Not available
If you could be invisible, what would you do? The chances are that it would have something to do with power, wealth or sex. Perhaps all three. But there's no need to feel guilty. Impulses like these have always been at the heart of our fascination with invisibility: it points to realms beyond our senses, serves as a receptacle for fears and dreams, and hints at worlds where other rules apply. Invisibility is a mighty power and a terrible curse, a sexual promise, a spiritual condition. This is a history of humanity's turbulent relationship with the invisible. It takes on the myths and morals of Plato, the occult obsessions of the Middle Ages, the trickeries and illusions of stage magic, the auras and ethers of Victorian physics, military strategies to camouflage armies and ships and the discovery of invisibly small worlds. From the medieval to the cutting-edge, fairy tales to telecommunications, from beliefs about the supernatural to the discovery of dark energy, Philip Ball reveals the universe of the invisible.
Publisher: Vintage Publishing
ISBN: 9781847922892
Number of pages: 336
Weight: 694 g
Dimensions: 242 x 164 x 32 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
"As a harvest of fascinating facts delivered with sharp wit and insight, it is hard to fault" -- Robert Douglas-Fairhurst Daily Telegraph "Intriguing" -- John Carey Sunday Times "A fascinating compendium... Another author might struggle to manage such an esoteric collection [of stories of invisibility] but Mr Ball's writing is incisive enough to keep the different elements hanging and working together" The Economist "Ball marshals his material with deftness and charm" Literary Review "[A] fantastic feast of ideas and information on the subject... In this enthralling book, Philip Ball's elegant and intelligent mastery...is very evident indeed" Evening Standard
You may also be interested in...
Please sign in to write a review
Sign In / Register
Not registered? CREATE AN ACCOUNTCREATE A plus ACCOUNT
Sign In
Download the Waterstones App
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?
Click & Collect
Reserve online, pay on collection
Alternatively, for multiple items you may find it easier to add to basket, then pay online and collect in as little as 2 hours, subject to availability.
Alternatively, for multiple items you may find it easier to add to basket, then pay online and collect in as little as 2 hours, subject to availability.
Thank you for your reservation
Your order is now being processed and we have sent a confirmation email to you at
When will my order be ready to collect?
Following the initial email, you will be contacted by the shop to confirm that your item is available for collection.
Call us on or send us an email at
Unfortunately there has been a problem with your order
Please try again or alternatively you can contact your chosen shop on or send us an email at