We've lit big fires and gentle flames over the ages to open our minds, to warn of danger, to brighten our way through the darkness and to allow us to read in bed at night

Nobel Prize-winner Peter Doherty's enthusiasm and curiosity about the world around him informs this atmospheric collection of stories on illumination, hot air and burning in all their guises. Written with great style and richly intimate with personal anecdotes, A Light History of Hot Air is concerned with the world and the simple beauty of science. Doherty shines a unique, tangential light of insight that reveals his subjects in new and unexpected ways.

A childhood in Queensland awakens a boy's-own-adventure enthusiasm for trains and ships; further learning leads to admiration for such engineering marvels as the humble refrigerator and the steady march of progress that has brought us from tallow candles to electric lights.

Featuring cameos from Albert Einstein, Samuel Pepys, Charles Dickens and Thomas the Tank Engine, among others, A Light History of Hot Air is an unmissable treat.