For decades, physicists have searched for a unifying theory that would encompass all the laws of physics in one coherent explanation of the workings of the universe. Albert Einstein spent the last years of his life searching without success. Now, theoretical physicist Brian Greene and other scientists propose one seamless theory capable of describing all of physics: superstring theory.

In The Elegant Universe, Greene argues that superstring, or string, theory is the answer and attempts to make this esoteric realm of theoretical physics more accessible to a general audience. As a public lecturer, he observes that the public “yearn[s] to understand what current research says about the fundamental laws of the universe” (x). He offers an overview of physics, from the Newtonian laws of motion through quantum mechanics, to show how those discoveries paved the way for current work in string theory.

Greene notes his hope that The Elegant Universe will interest those who have scientific backgrounds as well as a more general readership. He also hopes that his book gives an “honest and balanced sense of why string theorists are so enthusiastic about the progress being made in the search for the ultimate theory of nature” (x).