This book features lots of very close-up photographs of scientifically interesting things such as ice crystals, opals, drops of water, yeast cells, and various bits of micro-technology. Each photo is accompanied by a few paragraphs of text. The writing is rather poetic, and features some fairly good metaphors for various scientific concepts, but I have to say, I found it rather frustrating, as I would much rather have had a much more plain and clear explanation of exactly what I was looking at. It's definitely a "science for artistic types" kind of book, whereas I'm the kind of person who's more likely to need art books written for scientific types. ( )

This book is a lovely book for those who are interested in science. It is not at all a didactic book, but more a book to inspire. The topics include a great deal about light and liquids, and the photographs are accompanied by quiet blue circles that provide scale by showing the size of a pinhead at that magnification. The descriptions include beautiful metaphors and phrasing; you would not expect to be so moved. A wonderful book to share with your friends.

From the description for the title photo:
"Pity the gryphon, the mermaid, the silkie, the chimera: creatures assembled of incompatible parts, with uncertain allegiances and troubled identities. When nature calls, which nature is it? When instinct beckons, approach or flee? A ferrofluid is a gryphon in the world of materials: part liquid, part magnet...." ( )

"Light s the insubstantial foundation of our world." Quote from first page. Photos of migrating bacteria in a dish - huge waves of patterns, cycles of expansion and stationary growth. There are photos of rust, oil, spilled ink, all close up Most are of 100 micrometers in diambeter, pinhead is two millimeters..super interesting compositions.

http://bactra.org/reviews/on-the-surface-of-things/ ( )

It is fun to guess what each picture is, and then read of the wonders of an unseen world ... until now that is. ( )