Cosmos by Carl Sagan Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.32 You Save: $3.67 (46%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $1.34 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Cosmos
Book Review: "All that is"
Summary: 5 Stars
As one of the great astronomer-writers of the Twentieth Century, Carl Sagan was extraordinarily communicative with the non-scientific public, able and willing to take the time and trouble to break down the mysteries of the universe into comprehensible fragments. The purpose of this book, which can be considered a companion to the acclaimed television series, is to explain what we know about the universe from a cosmological perspective and why we need to know more about it.Physicists often talk of the unity of the branches of physics: the interrelation and application of mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, and optics to the motion of everything from galaxies to subatomic particles. Similarly, Sagan's major theme is the unity of cosmology with the natural and physical sciences that define what we know about the Earth. Does the stifling, carbon dioxide-choked atmosphere of Venus imply anything about the greenhouse effect on Earth? Was a nearby cosmic explosion called a supernova indirectly responsible for the disappearance of the dinosaurs? What would be the biological consequences for the survivors of a global nuclear war? The answers to these questions are vital to the continuation of life as we know it.
Sagan also identifies cosmology with its own history. He lavishes reverent detail on the ancient Greek and Alexandrian study of the stars and planetary motions, the pioneering work by the Renaissance scientists Brahe, Kepler, Copernicus, Huygens, and others, and the men who revolutionized science with the formulation of laws of motion, Newton and Einstein.
The scope of "Cosmos" is tremendous, from the farthest expanses of the universe containing a hundred billion galaxies in addition to our own Milky Way, at the end of a spiraling arm of which our solar system is located; down to the lone electron circling the nucleus of a hydrogen atom, the most plentiful single entity in the cosmos and the source of everything we know, love, and are. In between there is discussion of the unmanned spacecraft expeditions to investigate "our" planets: Mars with its boulder-strewn, desert-like terrain; the gaseous giant Jupiter; Io, a Jovian moon of incredible redness, spotted with volcanic orifices and resembling an unappealing sauce-covered meatball; Saturn with its ice rings. Would these worlds contain life? Using what we know about the evolution of life on Earth, Sagan hypothesizes how different types of lifeforms might develop on worlds with different environments.
Even a casual interest in cosmology requires a fascination with astronomical distances and unthinkably long spans of time in which a human lifetime is but a blink of an eye. However, Sagan seems to write also for those who would rather relate cosmic arcana to familiar terms, and in this sense he is a grand entertainer: A thought experiment that provides a simple but fanciful illustration of the concept of black holes uses the tea party scene in "Alice in Wonderland" as a setting. "Cosmos" neither complicates unnecessarily nor insults your intelligence; very few "popular" science books will capture your imagination so well.
Book Review: 2010 Review
Summary: 5 Stars
I wasn't sure how a book like this would read 25 years after it was first published. I was astounded by it. It is one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read.
The depth and breadth of knowledge of the author is incredible and so beautifully put across.
Imagine that this was proscribed to all 15 year old students throughout the globe; we really could go a long way to improving our future society and well-being.
Book Review: 30 years later, and still nothing like it.
Summary: 5 Stars
Very few people have ever been able to write in such a way that can render nothing of the imagination or fantasy more compelling than the realities of what actually is. Incredibly, 30 years later, very few things in this book are truly outdated, and there is still no book out there which can so accessibly and comprehensively serve as a "You Are Here" starting guide to all that is. It remains an essential and irresistible read for anyone with a natural intellectual curiosity and desire to understand.Book Review: A Beautifully Scripted Journey
Summary: 5 Stars
As an extraordinarily curious kid with a mind aching for answers to this universe, I felt invigorated getting the chance to read this brilliant book. Many atheist authors struggle to convey their true message under the immense pressure to garnish juxtaposition amidst the prevailing religiosity of the world. Not Sagan. He seamlessly crosses the line between science and religion, threading the two together with the careful prose you would surely only expect from a seasoned historian.
Rather than trying to proselytize his audience with an immense crescendo of refuting evidence, he describes a universe of such elegance and perfection (or rather imperfection?) that it is nearly impossible not to come to grips with the reality of it all. As a well-read student and Chemical Engineer with plans of grad school and beyond, I spent a lot of spare time in the summer polishing my knowledge with some of the more famous books of physics and quantum mechanics. While it is always an endeavor to engage in the works of Stephen Hawking or some of the modern enthusiasts of the field, I find myself critically vulnerable to this illustration of the Cosmos by Carl Sagan. I can only offer my highest accolades to this book, and it is at least worth a read at some point in everybody's life. Whether you consider science your career or if you are simply a curious reader, I'm more than positive this tale will absorb you into its utter realness and offer some of the finest explanations in modern science.
While this surely won't replace your college textbooks, this is an almost necessary pocket aid and motivation to keep with you and learn from. Sagan writes better than almost anyone in his field, so don't miss out.
Book Review: A Breif History of The Cosmos
Summary: 5 Stars
Sagan does a fantastic job of explaining both the fascinating discoveries of science, and it's role modern in society. Cosmos is a 15 billion year history of the universe, through the eyes of science as they have been gradually opened, and an insight into the very best of human nature.
Dr. Sagan did a wonderful job of making thousands of years of scientific discovery, not only palpable to people with no scientific education, but concisely conveys the significance of their implications as well. I have a feeling the ideas contained in this book, will leave me inspired for years to come.