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WHILE today’s particle colliders and genome projects cost millions, and dozens of names appear on scientific papers, George Johnson gazes back to the ideal of earlier centuries: a gentleman alone in his study, using home-made equipment to confront nature. Johnson briskly lays out not the most important experiments ever, but 10 elegant cases where the design and execution are paramount, such as Newton’s prisms, Pavlov’s drooling dogs and Millikan’s floating oil drops. The work, not the scientists, is the focus of this paean for simple science.