Quotes to entice and entertain the reader
Some authors make use of epigraphs in their books. An epigraph is a short quotation at the beginning of a chapter that aims to set the stage for what follows. My general observation is that many of the epigraphs are rather obscure and the connection to the content of the chapter is not clear. Perhaps, I am just too ignorant about classical literature, or perhaps some authors are just trying to be too clever. But, sometimes I think they are creative, enticing, and even humorous. I tried having a go at using epigraphs for Condensed Matter Physics: A Very Short Introduction. Unfortunately, after doing this I discovered that epigraphs are no longer allowed in the VSI series. Anyway, I had fun doing it and so here I present the epigraphs I came up with. 1 What is condensed matter physics? … thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” … [they] called the bread manna. [Manna sounds like the Hebrew for