Philosophy : Nothing A Very Short Introduction Very Short Introductions
From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time | 
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 A Perfect Title
This is a perfect title for a book which adds up to NOTHING. Total junk.Skip it.
 Interesting and definitely about something
As the title states, this book is about the idea of nothing. It is part (a very small part) philosophy and part science (for the most part). It starts with the early Greek philosophers and their concept to nothing, or more correctly - can nothing actually exist. (When you take the matter from a volume what is left? Is it nothing or does the presence of matter define the space and when it is removed the space no longer exists?) After a brief discussion of the ideas of these philosophers the author then goes on to experimental studies of nothing, in this case a vacuum and how the idea of air pressure actually creates what was ascribed to the vacuum itself. By page 22 (out of almost 150), the discussion shifts to atoms, fields, quantum vacuum effects and space-time. Finally, the last chapters deal with the cosmological ideas of a vacuum and how this ties into the idea of the "big bang". The focus of the book is on the idea that space is mostly empty, from the inside of atoms to the space between galaxies. Yet, quantum mechanics teaches that this "nothing" is full of energy and virtual partials that interact with light and matter. In fact, a vacuum fluctuation may be the source of the universe itself.
The book is written in a clear and engaging style, with no mathematics, and contains a lot of interesting material. I would recommend it to all those interested in science, from high school students to physics graduate students, as well as to those who have completed their schooling. All that is really required is a desire to learn more about nothing and why it maybe the dominant factor in the universe.
 Not Enough Ado about Nothing
Granted, the series format does not make for inclusiveness. However, in my opinion any discussion of "nothing" which does not mention the early Greek philosopher Parmenides starts off irretrievably wrongfooted. I'm not absolutely sure about this point, since $9.56 (or even $7.16 for the Kindle edition) is not close enough to 'nothing' for me to throw that sum away on what seems to be a fatally incomplete book. Nor is this merely an empty issue about failing to drop a philosophically correct name or two: one cannot understand the Platonic and Pythagorean foundations of math and physics without a firm grounding in their respective views about the status of "not-being" and the void -- and those views are intimately intertwined with Parmenides' critique. This book, which judging by the index, mentions Thales at least twice but Parmenides not at all, strikes me as not enough ado about nothing.
Almost everything about nothing
Don't be misled by the title: inconsequential this little book is not, and some of the most profound questions are addressed here by Frank Close. What is empty space? From what did matter originate? Where are physicists now in their understanding of the laws that govern our universe?
As well as finding possible solutions to at least some of these questions, a reading of Nothing left me reflecting that the giants of classical and modern physics, Newton and Einstein, weren't so off-the-wall after all, even when seemingly at their least inspired. Newton's insistence on the existence of ether anticipates the modern view that there is no such thing as 'empty' space - if all matter is removed then it is filled with energy, from which matter can be created at levels exceeding 2mc². (Elsewhere, in Close's words, 'an example of "ether" is an electric field.') Einstein's hypothesised Cosmological Constant (or Lambda force), meanwhile, which he considered his biggest mistake, may actually have been detected, even if its value is almost immeasurably small, and even if Lambda is no longer required to counterbalance gravitational attraction in an expanding universe (as opposed to the stable one of received opinion in 1915).
This is a challenging book from the very first chapter, in which early ideas about the vacuum are discussed. According to Close, the Aristotelian argument for the absence of a void expresses these in its clearest form, although I for one found Aristotle's reasoning more akin to word-play than irrefutable logic. Subsequent chapters tackle the next 2000 years' worth of ideas. Most of us non-physicists will probably be left reeling, but Close is attentive to the non-specialist, keeps his explanations jargon-free and uses wide-ranging analogies from impressionist art to roulette so that abstract (and bizarre!) concepts acquire more concrete form.
The text is accompanied by excellent graphics which illustrate, for example, how the angles of a triangle can total 270°, or how particles can materialise 'from nothing'. An absorbing, challenging and rewarding read, then, for anyone with an interest in current theory, CERN's Large Hadron Collider, the nature of the universe and the origin of everything in it.
Much Ado About Nothing
People have been speculating about "Why is there something rather than nothing" for as long as we have documented history. Frank Close has written a valuable book, explaining the different speculations about the nature of "nothing" and different ideas about whether it's even possible. He begins with Aristotle's idea that "nature abhors a vacuum", and discusses other early Greek thinkers on what the primordial "nothing" might have been- some thought it was water or one of the other elements. What is really interesting is when Close discusses the history of modern Physics, from Newton to Einstein, and how the idea of "nothing" or a vacuum has changed. In that respect, this book is a good introduction to basic physics in its own right. Essentially, when all matter is taken away, you still have electromagnetic waves, which is "something." He then gets into the strange world of quantum mechanics and symmetry-breaking. In regard to quantum mechanics- I can't put it nearly as well as Close does, but basically due to the Uncertainty Principle- that you cannot know both a subatomic particle's position and momentum at the same time- there will inherently be some form of energy in a state of "nothing", and energy can produce mass, or matter. In regard to symmetry breaking- order forms when matter goes from high-energy states to low-energy states, like when water freezes to make ice. At the time of the Big Bang, matter was dense and almost unbelievably hot, and only when it cooled down, or "froze" could any kind of order develop. So we are at least a little closer to why there is something. But as Close notes at the end, we still will wonder why quantum uncertainty was coded into the universe in the first place. This is an excellent book that will help you think about the nature of reality. We humans don't understand everything about this strange universe, and in my view, probably never will. And that's the good news.
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