From ancient myths and quantum physics to cosmology and dark matter

In The Shortest History of Reality, the idea of 'what's real' is traced from its everyday, common-sense beginnings to the mind-bending discoveries of modern physics. Along the way, we encounter the great shifts in thought that reshaped our view of existence - from ancient philosophy to the rise of science, from Newton's universe to the strange probabilities of the quantum world and beyond.

Blending science, history and philosophy, this is a brisk and lucid tour through humanity's changing grasp of reality. With clarity and wit, it introduces key thinkers and turning points, revealing how each era has deepened - and complicated - our understanding of what's really out there.

Rather than an encyclopaedia of everything that exists, this book is the compelling story of how we've tried to make sense of it all.

With a foreword by Derek Muller (Veritasium)

'This book takes you from the tiniest quantum quirks to the grand sweep of the cosmos, all in one exhilarating ride.' -Dr Karl Kruszelnicki

'The Shortest History of Reality is more than history or science - it is a journey of humanity's attempts to answer one simple question- Is this real?' -Brad Tucker, astrophysicist, Australian National University

Table of Contents
Timeline
Foreword by Derek Muller (Veritasium)
Introduction

PART 1- EARLY IDEAS OF REALITY
1. What Was Reality?
2. The Nature of Reality

PART 2- REALITY IN THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
3. The Rules of Reality
4. Light, Colour and the Illusion of Reality
5. The Stuff of Nature

PART 3- REALITY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
6. What Is Reality Made Of?
7. The Second Theory of Relativity
8. The Biological Revolution
9. The Quantum Revolution
10. The Particle Zoo

PART 4- EXPLORING THE QUANTUM WORLD
11. What Is a Quantum Wave Really?
12. The March of Unification
13. Symmetry and Antimatter

PART 5- THE FUTURE OF REALITY
14. Where Is My Mind?
15. The Unfinished Symphony
16. Where and When Is Everything?
17. Closing Thoughts