1. "Thoughts of a Classic Physicist" by russell McCormmach

A historical novel about the dramatic change in physics in Germany between the war of unification (1870) and World War 1. 

My intention was to glean information of German culture before the great world wars. I'd thought I might be able to compare or contrast the scientific world with the religious (theology / missions) world, the subject of my historic novel of the same era. It actually is remarkable what similarities there are. Both are disciplines seeking truth, the first seeking to understand nature, the later the relation between natural and spiritual. 

The style of the author was remarkable. A great deal of information, in fact quite a comprehensive 50 year history of physics is presented in this short book. I will cover the same era with additional complexities of information (across various disciplines and cultures and with more characters). I can only hope that in the end I succeed to weave as enticing a story.