Gravity

Name: Gravity
ISBN: 9787521724295

吉姆·艾尔－哈利利CITIC Press2021

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Series: Penguin Science
ISBN: 9787521724295

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Summary

Gravity is one of twelve volumes in the Penguin Science series (Series 1), introduced to China by CITIC Press Group, with the subtitle "The First of the Four Fundamental Forces of the Universe." Written by Jim Al-Khalili, a quantum physicist, professor of physics at the University of Surrey, and president of the British Science Association, and illustrated throughout, the book explores gravity as one of the four fundamental interactions of nature. The book uses a facing-page layout with text on the left and images on the right; each volume contains more than twenty concepts, each paired with an accessible explanation of roughly five hundred words and an illustration. In everyday language and images, it explains how gravity shapes planetary orbits, tides, stars, and galaxies, as well as its place in modern physics and the puzzles it has yet to solve. As part of Penguin's Ladybird imprint, a nationally beloved science series created for general readers, the book is only four or five millimeters thick, fits in a pocket, and takes about an hour to read from cover to cover, making it ideal for learning about a scientific topic in spare moments. This volume can be read alongside others in the series, such as The Big Bang and Quantum Mechanics, to help readers build a basic framework for understanding the universe and the material world. CITIC Press Group released the full twelve-volume Penguin Science Series 1 as a boxed set in 2021, totaling 680 pages.

Editor's review

把“引力”这样一个既古老又前沿的题目，压缩成一本可以揣进口袋的小书，是“企鹅科普”系列最见功力的地方。作者吉姆·艾尔-哈利利是量子物理学家、萨里大学教授，长期主持BBC科学节目，是英国最擅长把硬科学讲成家常话的人之一，他的讲解不依赖复杂公式，而是借由图片和比喻把读者带进概念内部。全书一半文字一半插画，左字右图，每个知识点独立成段，随手翻开任意一页都能读懂，一小时左右即可读完，读完也确实会记住几个真正关键的概念。这种“轻”并不等于“浅”：从行星轨道到潮汐，再到广义相对论对引力的重新解释，线索清晰可循。它未必能替代系统教材，却是成年人补上科学常识、青少年建立物理兴趣的低门槛入口。若买家在找一本能在地铁上读完、又能留下点东西的科普书，这一册值得放进购物车。

Who it's for

A good fit for

对物理与宇宙好奇、但缺乏理工科背景的成年读者
希望给孩子做科学启蒙、需要一本浅显读物的家长与中学生
喜欢图文混排、篇幅短小的口袋书阅读者
想快速补上基础科学常识的职场人

Not a good fit for

需要系统学习经典力学、想找教材或习题书的读者
期待深入推导广义相对论公式与前沿研究细节的专业读者
偏好长篇叙事型科普、希望读到完整故事线的读者

Reading tips

先通读文字，再回头逐页看插图，图与文对照更容易建立直观印象。
读完后把不懂的概念记下来，再去B站或维基查证，效果胜过一口气读完。
可与同系列的《宇宙大爆炸》《量子力学》连着读，三册合起来就是一份宇宙观速览。
适合放在包里随取随读，每次读三到五个知识点即可，不必强求一次读完。

About the publisher

CITIC Press China · Founded in 1988

Founded in 1988 and affiliated with China CITIC Group, CITIC Press focuses on business and economics, social sciences, literature and children's books, with common categories covering social sciences, finance, literature, Eastern philosophy and literary appreciation. Its library holds 91 titles, including Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens trilogy, Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Wu Xiaobo's Thirty Years of Strife: Chinese Enterprises 1978–2008, Nelly Sachs's The Weight of Butterflies: Selected Poems of Nelly Sachs, as well as New Interpretations of the Analects and Chiang Hsun's lectures on Dream of the Red Chamber. Its authors and translators include Lin Junhong, Ba Shusong, Chen Li and Chang Fen-ling. Overall, the press introduces influential works in finance and social sciences while balancing classic translation and local appreciation in literature and Eastern philosophy, combining academic depth with accessible reading.

FAQ

这本《引力》和2018年中信出版的麦卡锡《引力》是同一本书吗？

不是。2018年那本《引力》（ISBN 9787508684642）是澳大利亚学者保罗·X.麦卡锡写的“网络引力”，讲数字经济与互联网巨头，属于商业类图书。本书是2021年“企鹅科普”系列中的分册，作者为物理学家吉姆·艾尔-哈利利，ISBN为9787521724295，内容是物理学意义上的引力。

这本书能单独买到吗，还是只能买整套？

中信引进的“企鹅科普”第1辑以全12册套装（总页数680页）形式发行，ISBN 9787521724295通常对应整套。市面上也有二手书商按单册拆卖《引力》，购买前请确认商品是单册还是整套，避免误买。

读完这本书需要多久？

全书约二十余个知识点，每个知识点约五百字配一幅插图，正常速度通读一遍大约一小时，适合通勤或睡前的短时间阅读。

这本书适合初中生读吗？

适合。系列定位即为青少年与成年读者的科学启蒙，语言通俗、图解直观，不依赖数学公式，初高中学生阅读基本没有障碍，也能作为物理课的延伸读物。

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About the author

吉姆·艾尔－哈利利 Author

Jim Al-Khalili is an author known for his science writing, and two of his works are currently included in the collection. Because public information is limited, details such as his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background cannot be confirmed and are not speculated upon here. Judging from the available works, his writing focuses on popular science, and his representative work is The Quantum Life. The book explores quantum biology, an interdisciplinary field, connecting basic concepts of quantum mechanics with questions arising in living phenomena and introducing general readers to the ideas and controversies of this frontier area. Overall, his popular science writing emphasizes clear conceptual exposition and readability, translating specialized content into narratives accessible to a general audience and suited to readers interested in the frontiers of science.