Twenty-eight of Nobel laureate Roald Hoffmann's essays, on subjects ranging from chemistry and writing to art, science and education, are collected in a book edited by Jeffrey Kovac and Michael Weisberg, published Jan. 23 by Oxford University Press.

"Roald Hoffmann on the Philosophy, Art and Science of Chemistry" includes such titles as "How Should Chemists Think?," "Why Buy That Theory?," "Molecular Beauty" and "Nearly Circular Reasoning," and provides insight into the teaching and practice of science. The book, its introduction reads, "collects many of Hoffmann's philosophical essays, which represent a significant and unique understanding of chemistry and its broader context."

Hoffmann, the Frank H.T. Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters Emeritus and 1981 chemistry Nobel laureate, is known for his contributions to chemistry, and he is also a writer of poetry, plays and essays. In particular, his essays often reflect on chemistry's relationship to philosophy, literature and the arts. This includes the nature of chemical reasoning, the role of symbolism and writing in science, and the relationship between art, craft and science.

Hoffmann will speak at Buffalo Street Books, 215 N. Cayuga St., to celebrate the release of the book, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m.