by George Gamov and Russell Stannard, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521639921, pbk £10.95/$16.95.
Mr Tompkins is a dreamy, bemused character who blunders his way through the intricacies of modern physics.
Russell Stannard’s update of George Gamov’s famous portrayal appeared in 1999. At that time, Gamov’s 1965 “science fantasy” anthology was also reissued in paperback. Now the wheel has turned full circle with a paperback version of the new edition. Gamov’s original “Mr Tompkins in Wonderland” story appeared in 1940. Clearly there is still a lot of mileage left in Tompkins.
