Quanta Books

A Universe of Ideas

Quanta Books illuminates humanity’s quest to understand the universe. From the founding editor of Pulitzer Prize-winning Quanta Magazine. For curious readers everywhere.

Forthcoming

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The Proof in the Code

By KEVIN HARTNETT (June 2026)

THE PROOF IN THE CODE is the definitive account of the birth and rise of Lean, a proof assistant developed at Microsoft that is transforming the enterprise of mathematics and ushering in a new era of human-computer collaboration. Although Lean was originally conceived of as a code-checking program, a small group of mathematicians recognized its potential to become something far more powerful: the “truth oracle” that thinkers have sought for centuries, a tool to definitively verify or refute any mathematical or logical assertion, no matter how complex. This is the story of the grassroots effort to make that dream a reality. Filled with insights about the future of math, computers, and AI, THE PROOF IN THE CODE is a brilliant work of journalism by Kevin Hartnett, a leading math writer whose research and reporting offer a profound answer to a longstanding mystery: Can computers reveal universal truths?


“Kevin Hartnett is one of today's finest chroniclers of math,” says Steven Strogatz, acclaimed Cornell mathematician, New York Times bestselling author of Infinite Powers, and co-host of The Joy of Why podcast. “With marvelous clarity and narrative flair, he introduces us to computer-verified proof, the drama behind it, and the people reimagining what math can be.”

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Six Math Essentials

By Terence Tao (November 2026)

In SIX MATH ESSENTIALS, renowned mathematician and Fields medalist Terence Tao introduces readers to six core ideas that have guided mathematicians from antiquity to the frontiers of what we know today. This elegant volume explores: numbers as the gateway to quantitative thinking, algebra as the gateway to abstraction, geometry as a way to go beyond what we can see, probability as a tool to navigate uncertainty with rigorous thinking, analysis as a means to tame the very large or very small, and dynamics as the mathematics of change. SIX MATH ESSENTIALS—Tao’s first popular math book—offers a glimpse into the workings of an incomparable mind and how he thinks about the creativity, beauty, and interconnectedness of the mathematical enterprise. Math, Tao insists, isn’t magic—it's a powerful way of thinking that anyone can learn.

the new quanta book cover with the logo on the blue background

Everything Is Fields

By David Tong (Early 2027)

EVERYTHING IS FIELDS is a lively tour through quantum field theory by leading theoretical physicist and Cambridge professor David Tong. Quantum field theory, aka QFT, forms the underlying mathematical framework of the Standard Model, the deepest description we have of the fundamental laws of physics. And, as Tong shows, it reveals a startling truth: that, at our most basic level, we are made not of particles or forces, but fields, fluid-like substances stretched throughout the entire universe. With his infectious sense of wonder and characteristic wit, Tong buoys our journey through the most difficult topic in theoretical physics. He revels in all that we’ve learned about our world and illuminates the questions we’re still trying to answer about the stuff that makes up you, me, and everything else.

About Quanta Books

Our mission is to publish books that illuminate and elucidate the central questions and fundamental ideas of modern science for everyone. We believe that to be human is to seek understanding—our books invite a deeper understanding of the universe through artful storytelling that speaks to a shared sense of curiosity and wonder. In a noisy, entropic world, we aim to contribute meaningful signals that stand the test of time.

Launched by Thomas Lin, the founding editor of Quanta Magazine, in partnership with Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Quanta Books is an editorially independent subsidiary of the Simons Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences. We welcome queries from scientists, mathematicians, and journalists, including first-time authors.

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