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"Full of revealing discoveries, this delightful and engaging book is indispensable reading not only because we are commemorating the 100th anniversary of the eclipse expeditions that confirmed Einstein's general theory of relativity, but also because it addresses with exquisite clarity foundational issues in physics, astronomy, technology, and the history and philosophy of science. With nuance and impeccable attention to detail, Daniel Kennefick convincingly refutes decades of incorrect claims and interpretations about these momentous expeditions."—Diana K. Buchwald, director of The Einstein Papers Project
"No Shadow of a Doubt takes us back to one of the most famous events in the history of science—the May 29, 1919, solar eclipse that changed physics forever and made Einstein a star. This fascinating account reads like a detective novel, deftly treading through the controversy of how evidence from that day was obtained, handled, and presented."—Jimena Canales, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
"The famously disputed 1919 eclipse expedition is an icon for physics and for history, philosophy, and sociology of science. Kennefick's richly detailed, scholarly, and highly readable book is aimed at settling the issues across the board once and for all. If you want to understand what happened and what it means, this is the book you should start with."—Harry Collins, Cardiff University
"This vivid, captivating, and precisely written scientific history follows the most famous of all scientific expeditions—the measurement of starlight bent by the Sun that made Einstein the most famous scientist in the world—and the personal, political, and scientific turbulence that surrounded general relativity. Most strikingly, the book tracks the debates that have wracked the eclipse measurements from 1919 up to recent times. It deserves a wide audience."—Peter Galison, Harvard University
"Few scientific experiments have become more famous—or controversial—than the British eclipse expeditions of 1919, which set out to test Albert Einstein's strange new theory of gravitation. In this masterful analysis, astrophysicist and historian Daniel Kennefick re-examines the fateful test, delivering larger lessons about science and its history."—David Kaiser, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
“A wonderful book that tells the story of the most important scientific observation of the twentieth century, No Shadow of a Doubt is beautifully and engagingly written and draws on intimate knowledge about every aspect of this grand event.”—Dennis Lehmkuhl, California Institute of Technology
“No Shadow of a Doubt is impressively researched and convincingly argued. With sharp prose and lucid explanations, Kennefick weaves the story of Einstein’s path to general relativity with the story of Eddington’s path to Africa, where he gathered evidence for the gravitational effects on light predicted by Einstein.”—Joseph D. Martin, University of Cambridge
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