The laws of thermodynamics are definitely amongst the most important and significant parts of physics. The second law (entropy or disorder will increase over time) particularly is a curious beast: it's obvious (put a warm tea cup on the table and it will cool down), but also very hard to explain.

Maxwell's demon, a jolly little creature invented by James Clerk Maxwell, was a thought experiment that's threatened the second law many times, by forcing the heat to move in the wrong direction. Von Baeyer explains all about the demon and the several attempts for its life while going through the history of thermodynamics.

It's a fascinating history with good characters and a nice, easy-to-read style to it. If you're at all interested in thermodynamics - and you should be - this is a good introduction. (Review based on the Finnish translation.)

(Original review from my review blog.) ( )

von Baeyer, Hans Christian. Maxwell's Demon: Why Warmth Disperses and Time Passes. Random House, New York, 1998. Great book. It's rare to find a popular science book that covers something I don't know, especially something in Physics. But I don't know thermodynamics, and von Baeyer does a great job explaining its importance. I have a better notion of entropy and its importance, and I have a better idea of the exciting discoveries that can still be made in this field. Furthermore, I have some items I want to follow up on. You really can't ask for anything more in a science book. I should drop a letter to ol' von Baeyer, W&M professor, and let him know how much I enjoyed his book.