Modern physics explained through the life and discoveries of Ernest Rutherford

Ernest Rutherford and the Birth of Modern Physics 

Matthew Wright

International release for new book explaining the earth-shaking discoveries of New Zealand's greatest scientist

Revealing the science that propelled Nelson’s greatest son to a Nobel Prize, Ernest Rutherford and the Birth of Modern Physics traces key concepts in modern science from their origins in the work of the man Einstein labelled ‘a second Newton’. 

Ernest Rutherford

Wellington writer Matthew Wright uses Rutherford’s life as a guide to trace the evolution of the modern physics that sits behind much of today’s everyday life. 

In the early 1900s, scientists discovered a world of waves, particles and unseen forces, giving humanity everything from radio to TV,   X-ray machines to smoke detectors. 

Rutherford was a key mover of this new world, becoming known as the ‘father of the atom’. 

Following his career from Canterbury University College through to Cambridge University, Wright reveals why Rutherford’s work seized the public imagination and remains integral to our understanding of the universe. 

It explains how the science behind his discoveries work, with many helpful diagrams and photos.

Ernest Rutherford and the Birth of Modern Physics is a major international publication. 

It goes on sale in October in bookstores across New Zealand, and Matthew will be making his first instore appearances at Unity Books (Wellington), Schrödingers Books (Petone) and Wardini Books (Napier) this month. 

Scribe Publications (Melbourne and London) is publishing the Australian and UK editions in October, with a hardback edition out in North America in November.

This book offers a chance for any reader to get a handle on the modern physics that so influences our everyday lives.

 

The author

Matthew Wright is the author of over 60 books on topics ranging from history to science and engineering, for all ages. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. His books include Living on Shaky Ground, about the science of earthquakes, and the introductory book The New Zealand Wars. He is active on social media and available for talks. Matthew lives in Wellington (matthewwright.net). 

Publication: 7 October 2025  |  ISBN: 978-1-99-004268-3 | RRP $45.00

Paperback, 234 x 153 mm portrait, 298 pages, b&w with photo sections

Remembering Dario Fo

Dario Fo – actor-playwright, comedian, singer, theatre director, stage designer, songwriter, painter, political campaigner and Nobel Prize winner – died on 13 October 2016 aged 90.

I was fortunate enough to meet him in 1989, when he was producing the play The Pope and the Witch at the Teatro dell'Arte in Milan, where my father Aldo and brother Marco worked. 

Thanks to my father I was able to sit discreetly in the back row of the theatre to watch the rehearsals, with Dario and his wife Franca Rame 'creating' the play, acting and directing it at the same time, tutoring and interacting with the numerous actors that surrounded them. 

Dario was a great man and a great writer too.

You can find a well written obituary in the Economist:

 http://www.economist.com/news/obituary/21708977-playwright-actor-artist-and-all-round-provocateur-was-90

And a more extensive one in the Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/oct/13/dario-fo-obituary

– Alessandra Zecchini

Milan: thousands attended the funeral of Dario Fo in Milan.
Photo courtesy of Marco Teatro

Photo courtesy of Marco Teatro