Book excerpt: Carl Wieman's contributions have had a major impact on defining the field of atomic physics as it exists today. His ground-breaking research has included precision laser spectroscopy; using lasers and atoms to provide important table-top tests of theories of elementary particle physics; the development of techniques to cool and trap atoms using laser light, particularly in inventing much simpler, less expensive ways to do this; the understanding of how atoms interact with one another and light at ultracold temperatures; and the creation of the first Bose-Einstein condensation in a dilute gas, and the study of the properties of this condensate. In recent years, he has also turned his attention to physics education and new methods and research in that area. This indispensable volume presents his collected papers, with annotations from the author, tracing his fascinating research path and providing valuable insight about the significance of the works.