“Paul Dirac is one of the most influential scientists of the twentieth century, often called ‘the theorist’s theorist.’ Yet he is much less well known than many lesser physicists. In Simply Dirac, the distinguished historian Helge Kragh gives an accessible introduction to Dirac’s most famous contributions to our understanding of the workings of nature, and gives us a good sense of the theoretician’s singular personality. A most enjoyable read.”

—Graham Farmelo, author of The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Mystic of the Atom

“Kragh, who is a respected colleague and authoritative historian, has taken up an imposing challenge. Dirac’s work is obscured by three barriers to understanding: The complexity of quantum mechanics, the novelty of Dirac’s take on this field, and the strangeness of the man. To reveal Dirac’s genius through this triple veil in such a clear way was no easy task, but one that Kragh has handled remarkably. He is a reliable guide through this difficult terrain and has contributed many valuable insights to this work.”

—Hans Christian von Baeyer, Chancellor Professor of Physics, Emeritus, at the College of William and Mary

“What a fantastic entrée into the life of Paul Dirac and the exotic world of Quantum Mechanics, of which he was one of the great pioneers. With its cast of some of the most important scientists of the modern age, this is both an entertaining and an enlightening read.”

—Michael White, Bestselling author of 39 books including Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer

“Helge Kragh has crafted an engaging and informative biography of a shy theorist who specialized in difficult physics—a beautiful life in science, in which Paul Dirac’s strengths and frailties are treated with a light touch.”

—Simon Mitton, Author of Fred Hoyle: A Life in Science

“Written with depth and clarity, Helge Kragh’s Simply Dirac is an informative and interesting description of Paul Dirac’s work and ideas and of his life and legacy. In particular, I found the author’s detailed discussions of methodology, something that is often neglected in a biography as well as his discussion of what little philosophy there was in Dirac’s thinking, illuminating.”

—Hans S. Plendl, Professor Emeritus of Physics, Florida State University