Elusive Audiobook By Frank Close cover art

Elusive

How Peter Higgs Solved the Mystery of Mass

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Elusive

By: Frank Close
Narrated by: Richard Burnip
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.19

Buy for $25.19

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

The first major biography of Peter Higgs, revealing how a short burst of work changed modern physics

On July 4, 2012, the announcement came that one of the longest-running mysteries in physics had been solved: the Higgs boson, the missing piece in understanding why particles have mass, had finally been discovered. On the rostrum, surrounded by jostling physicists and media, was the particle’s retiring namesake—the only person in history to have an existing single particle named for them. Why Peter Higgs? Drawing on years of conversations with Higgs and others, Close illuminates how an unprolific man became one of the world’s most famous scientists. Close finds that scientific competition between people, institutions, and states played as much of a role in making Higgs famous as Higgs’s work did.

A revelatory study of both a scientist and his era, Elusive will remake our understanding of modern physics.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Frank Close (P)2022 Basic Books History History & Philosophy Physics Professionals & Academics Science Science & Technology Mathematics Cosmology Black Hole

Critic reviews

“Rich, compelling, and surprising. Fundamental physics can be equal parts awe-inspiring and head-spinning, and Frank Close masterfully captures those qualities in this deeply satisfying tale of Peter Higgs's convoluted, and very human, journey through life and science.”
—Caleb Scharf, author of The Ascent of Information

People who viewed this also viewed...

Particle Physics Audiobook By Frank Close cover art
Particle Physics By: Frank Close
All stars
Most relevant  
This biography of Peter Higgs and the Higgs Boson is fairly dense on the science but with the help of Wikipedia mostly understandable and very educational about particle physics and the standard model. But because it’s written beautifully by an eminent physicist like a gripping novel spanning a century of science it’s truly a page turner. I have listened to many books on science and the history of science and this one is my favorite. And the narrator is terrific.

A gripping beautifully written biography

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Extremely well written, well narrated, deeply informative, and entertaining. Though not as profoundly insightful as most of Brian Greene's works, it is also much easier to grasp and to stay engaged.

Lot's of great details on the theory of the Standard Model, as well as most of the important experiments that proved it.

I wrote in the review title that Close's works have been hit-and-miss; this is mainly based on my firsthand experience with The Infinity Puzzle, which was written and narrated in such a way that I found it impossible to stay engaged. Maybe I should give it a second attempt, now that I know Frank is capable of getting the message across in an effective way... or maybe Elusive is his attempt at fixing what he did wrong with Infinity Puzzle.

Frank Close has been hit-and-miss; this is a HIT!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Even with a background in physics, I had to concentrate and listen closely to keep up with the outlines of the science involved. But it’s a fascinating story that can be enjoyed even if one does not get the physics.

Interesting and insightful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Well written book about a difficult to understand concept as well as a interesting take on a difficult to understand man. While I am not a theoretical physicist, I am extremely intersted in the field of quantum mechanics, the Big Bang, and the increasingly fascinating way our universe is put together. Frank Close has written a well put together book detailing how equations written on white boards or bar napkins turn into pivital moments in our quest to understand our universe. At the same time, he writes a delightful story about the man with an idea who is surprised and a little befuddled about the fuss being made over him and his discovery. I thouroughly enjoyed this book.

Excellent Read!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The author connected immediately with my sensibilities - awareness of neural and cultural diversity, and grounding in social justice. While perhaps having nothing at all to do with Peter Higgs’ identification of the massive boson, the writer’s style made me care about his subject’s journey, and in the process, deepen my understanding of the state of inquiry in physics.

Originally finding the narrative a bit repetitive and loopy, I gradually came to appreciate both as effective ways to make sure the reader kept straight both an important timeline and new fundamental language.

An engaging, important, and enlightening read.

The Context of Discovery

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
More than just a dive into the Higgs Boson, Elusive is a history of particle physics that anyone can follow, and a portrait of the great minds along the path that led to the standard model. The book provides context to the relationship between subatomic particles without any mathematics, and illustrates the great influence of politics and social pressure on the path that led to creation of LHC and beyond. It may even appeal to readers who don't harbor any great interest in physics, so long as they appreciate the historical significance and recounting of monumental discoveries.

Must read for physics undergraduates

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The story of the Higgs Mechanism is a complex journey into Quantum Field Theory, Gauge Theory, Symmetry and Particle Physics. Frank Close has done an amazing job walking us through this landscape and giving us an appreciation for the dedicated physicists and mathematicians that brought this revolutionary theory to light.

Amazing book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.