Smil, V: Size

"Informative and entertaining. ... Perfect reading material for anyone who enjoys a mathematical analysis of the world around them." - Physics World

"From viruses to blue whales, this ambitious book tries to explain why size does matter." - Seattle Times

"No one writes about the great issues of our time with more rigor or erudition than Vaclav Smil." - Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction

"One of the world's most interesting thinkers investigates the large, the small, and everything in between. ... [Smil] skillfully synthesizes a wealth of material to help explain the world and our place in it. ... Fascinating... interesting and accessible. ... Smil packs entire worlds into entertaining, colorful, pleasing packages." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Meditates on size and its relation to status, intelligence, wealth, and beauty. ... Fascinates." - Publishers Weekly

"Smil traverses the extremes and plenty in between. ... [A] fascinating inquiry." - Booklist

"This book is ambitious in scope but wonderfully granular in detail-and really will change the way you think about just about everything." - i News

"[An] interrogation, indeed demolition, of our modish and magical approach to mathematics. ... Wonderfully acerbic. ... Size is an endlessly entertaining career through fascinating territory." - Telegraph (UK)