Bill Gruber is an emeritus professor at Emory University. The author of numerous academic books and articles, he lives in Moscow, Idaho.

• Table of ContentsIntroduction: Of Gyroscopes and Pitchers’ MoundsChapter 1. Toy StoryChapter 2. Around the HouseChapter 3. Amazing GraceInterchapter I: A (Very) Short History of a MetaphorChapter 4. A Day at the BallparkChapter 5. Big Wheels Keep on TurningChapter 6. Bullet PointsInterchapter II: Making Iron ComeChapter 7. In the SkyChapter 8. A Descent into the MaelstromChapter 9. Really, Really Big and Really, Really SmallCoda: James Clerk Maxwell and the Defenestration of CatsChapter NotesWorks CitedIndex

“Gruber explores how the sometimes counterintuitive physics of spin created a wide variety of toys, sports, useful labor-saving devices, and deadly accurate weaponry. Just as the axle and wheel revolutionized transportation on land, the propeller harnessed rotary motion to conquer the skies and sea. ... No math is necessary to follow along with the physics, and detailed explanations with familiar examples (baseballs in flight, for example) make the concepts concrete before exploring more esoteric examples such as electromagnetism and aerodynamics. ... An accessible and rewarding exploration of the physics of circular motion in everyday life.—Library Journal