Paul Adrian Maurice Dirac (1902–84) is one of the icons of modern physics. His work provided the mathematical foundations of quantum mechanics. He also made key contributions to quantum field theory and quantum statistical mechanics. He is perhaps best known for formulating the Dirac equation, a relativistic wave equation which described the properties of the electron, and also predicted the existence of anti-matter. He was awarded the Nobel prize in Physics in 1933 along with Erwin Schreodinger for his contributions to quantum theory.

The Dirac Centennial Symposium held commemorated the contributions of Dirac to all areas of physics, and assessed their impact on frontier research. This invaluable book constitutes the proceedings of the symposium, containing articles by Leopold Halpern, Pierre Ramond, Frank Wilczek, Maurice Goldhaber, Jonathan Bagger, Joe Lykken, Roman Jackiw, Stanley Deser, Joe Polchinski, Andre Linde and others. A special contribution from Dirac's daughter Monica Dirac presents a portrait of Paul Dirac as father and family man.