Popular Science Review - Einstein's Refrigerator

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Review - Einstein's Refrigerator - Steve Silverman

This is a fascinating exploration of weird but true tales, usually with a scientific flavour. There's the headless chicken who stayed alive, the self-draining lake, Einstein's contribution to refrigeration, Hedy Lemarr's hi-tech patent (yes, that Hedy Lamarr), and much more.

There is a price to pay, though, for the amazing stories. Silverman's tone is so consistently 'gee whizz, woweroonie!' that it's difficult not to feel the urge to hit him over the head with a large soft object and tell him to calm down. Each piece ends with the remark 'Useless? Useful? I'll leave you to decide.' - and by the time you've read it twenty times, the novelty has worn off. The trouble is that the original audience was high school students, and Mr Silverman has gone out of his way to just be one of the guys.

Don't let this put you off, though. It's worth wincing your way through Mr Silverman's 'wit' to see his superb collection of stories. Several of them will probably make you want to read more - it's a great starting point for exploring the bizarre but true. They aren't all science stories by any means (did you know, for instance, that the USA once had an emperor - it must be true, it says so on his gravestone) - but almost all are a delight to learn. Useless? Useful? I'll leave you to decide. Argghhh!

As unlikely coincidences go, this is a title that is shared with another popular science book - Einstein's Refrigerator by Gino Segre.

Reviewed by Brian Clegg

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