image: Quanta Books will publish math and science books that entice and inspire readers.
Credit: Quanta Books
The Simons Foundation and publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux announce the launch of Quanta Books, a partnership imprint led by Thomas Lin, the founding editor of the Pulitzer Prize–winning Quanta Magazine. The imprint’s mission is to publish books that illuminate and elucidate the central questions and fundamental ideas of modern science for readers. These books will invite a deeper understanding of the universe through artful storytelling that speaks to our shared sense of curiosity and wonder. The imprint is an editorially independent subsidiary of the Simons Foundation, a nonprofit organization with a mission to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences.
“I’m thrilled to partner with Farrar, Straus and Giroux, whose storied tradition of editorial excellence has long inspired me,” says Thomas Lin, publisher of Quanta Books. “Quanta Magazine was built on the hypothesis that an underserved readership craves serious science writing that does not skirt the richly rewarding complexities of the science itself. We believe those readers will be eager for books in the same vein — exceptional science and math books driven by important, original ideas (and thinkers), intellectual rigor and literary craft. With the support of the Simons Foundation, we are aiming to focus on a select list of books each year with in-depth editorial development for each. We’re honored to spotlight scientists and journalists who tell essential stories about humanity’s pursuit of knowledge — ones that delight readers and challenge us to think in new ways.”
“The partnership between FSG and Quanta Books brings together two companies and two teams committed to offering readers the most mind-, culture- and life-expanding ideas, delivered in elegant, stylish, and clarifying prose,” says Jenna Johnson, senior vice president and editor-in-chief of FSG. “Quanta Books will nestle in seamlessly alongside the rest of the FSG list, even as they expand our publishing in numerous and exciting ways. We have long admired Quanta’s work in the world and, given our shared values and emphasis on innovation, possibility, truth and the highest quality, we are truly delighted to be welcoming them to our publishing program.”
“The Simons Foundation is excited to be partnering with FSG in launching this new imprint,” says Simons Foundation President David Spergel. “Under Tom Lin’s leadership, the Simons Foundation launched Quanta Magazine a decade ago. Quanta has been a revolution of quality for science journalism. We hope that Quanta Books will also have a transformative impact on the world of books about math and science.”
Quanta Books will publish its first book in 2026: Kevin Hartnett’s The Proof in the Code. The book is the definitive account of the birth and rise of Lean, a computer program developed by Microsoft that is transforming the enterprise of mathematics and ushering in a new era of human-computer collaboration. Although Lean was originally conceived of as a code-checking program, a small group of mathematicians recognized its potential to become something far more powerful: the “truth oracle” that thinkers have sought for centuries, a tool to definitively verify or refute any mathematical or logical assertion, no matter how complex. This is the story of the grassroots effort to make that dream a reality. Filled with insights about the future of math, computers, and AI, The Proof in the Code is a brilliant work of journalism by one of the world’s foremost math writers, offering a profound answer to a longstanding mystery: Can computers reveal universal truths?
Quanta Books senior editor Tisse Takagi will work with Lin to acquire and develop manuscripts for the imprint. Takagi was previously a literary agent at The Science Factory (now Curious Minds Agency) and an editor for the science lists at Basic Books and Oxford University Press. They are joined by editorial assistant Sheena Meng.
About Quanta Books: Launched by Thomas Lin, the founding editor of Pulitzer Prize-winning Quanta Magazine, in partnership with Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Quanta Books is an editorially independent subsidiary of the Simons Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the frontiers of basic scientific research. The mission is to publish books that illuminate and elucidate the central questions and fundamental ideas of modern science for everyone. We believe that to be human is to seek understanding — our books invite a deeper understanding of the universe through artful storytelling that speaks to a shared sense of curiosity and wonder.
About the Simons Foundation: The Simons Foundation is a private foundation in New York City whose mission is to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences. Founded in 1994 by Jim and Marilyn Simons, the foundation supports transformative science through grantmaking, in-house research and public engagement. The Simons Foundation provides grants in autism science and neuroscience; life sciences; mathematics and physical sciences; and science, society and culture. The foundation’s in-house research division, the Flatiron Institute, develops and deploys computational methods to advance basic scientific research. To learn more, visit simonsfoundation.org.
About Farrar, Straus and Giroux: Farrar, Straus and Company was founded in 1946 by Roger W. Straus and John C. Farrar. In 1964, Robert Giroux’s name was added to the roster, and the company became Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The firm is renowned for its international list of literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and children’s books. Farrar, Straus and Giroux authors have won extraordinary acclaim over the years, including numerous National Book Awards, Pulitzer Prizes, and twenty-five Nobel Prizes in Literature.
About Macmillan: Macmillan Publishers is the U.S. trade division of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a large family-owned media company headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its publishing companies include prominent imprints around the world that publish a broad range of award-winning books for children and adults in all categories and formats. U.S. publishers include Celadon Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Flatiron Books, Henry Holt & Company, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, The St. Martin’s Publishing Group, and Tor Publishing Group. In the U.K., Australia, India, and South Africa, Macmillan publishes under the Pan Macmillan name. The German company, Holtzbrinck Deutsche Buchverlage, includes among its imprints S. Fischer, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Rowohlt, and Droemer Knaur.