Congratulations, Sean!
Long-time 3QD friend and supporter Sean Carroll has won the £25,000 Royal Society Winton Prize for his book The Particle at the End of the Universe. I am proud to say that I was one of the people Sean had sent the manuscript to for comment before publication and I loved it immediately. Here is what I had said on Facebook about it when it was published:
It is a tour de force of science writing. If you don't have a good understanding of what all the fuss was about when the LHC announced the discovery of the Higgs boson earlier this summer, you will after you read this brilliantly accessible account of the science behind the discovery and also all its attendant human drama.
Am very happy the Royal Society agreed! This is from the BBC:
His work beat five other titles that ranged across topics that broadly focussed on life in its many forms and its internal workings.
But the judges were unanimous in their decision to give Dr Carroll the prize.
Prof Uta Frith, from University College London and chair of the judges, said of the winning book: “It is an exceptional example of the genre and a real rock star of a book. Though it's a topic that has been tackled many times before.
“Carroll writes with an energy that propels readers along and fills them with his own passion. He understands their minds and anticipates their questions. There's no doubt that this is an important, enduring piece of literature.”
The prize was announced at the society's central London headquarters.
Dr Carroll said it was “completely unexpected”.
“It was a great thrill. I honestly thought of the six people in this room, anyone could have won.
More here.