Big Bang - Hardcover

Singh, Simon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007162200 ISBN 13: 9780007162208

Publisher: Fourth Estate, 2005

Synopsis

We've all heard of the Big Bang, and yet few of us truly know what it is.

Renowned for making difficult ideas much less difficult than they might first appear, Simon Singh is our perfect guide to explaining why cosmologists believe that the Big Bang is an accurate description of the origin and evolution of the universe.

This highly readable and entertaining book tells the story of the many brilliant, often eccentric scientists who fought against the establishment idea of an eternal and unchanging cosmos. From such early Greek cosmologists as Anaximander to recent satellite measurements taken deep in space, Big Bang is a narrative full of anecdotes and personal histories. With characteristic clarity, Simon Singh tells the centuries-long story of mankind's attempt to understand how the universe came to be, a story which itself begins some 14 billion years ago (give or take a billion years). Simon Singh shows us that it is within the capability of all of us -- in his expert hands -- to understand the Big Bang: the fundamental theory in all of science, and a high point -- perhaps the high point -- of human achievement.

About this title

Review:

"Singh is a gifted writer.a good storyteller.and [he] knows how to describe and explain complex and esoteric subjects." -- San Diego Union-Tribune

"Fascinating.Simon Singh loves storytelling and has a knack for digging up underappreciated characters." -- New York Newsday

"Highly readable. Singh brings the colourful protagonists in his story to life." -- New Scientist

"It's hard to imagine a grander, more thrilling story...fast-paced...hugely entertaining...Big Bang is, quite literally, cosmic."--New York Times

"An expert but friendly guide to help you decode the mysteries [of the universe] with crisp, clear running commentary."--Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful Mind

"Singh's unerring eye for picturesque anecdotes and his capacity for simplifying complex scientific ideas is a winning formula."--Saturday Daily Telegraph (London)

"Singh is a gifted writer...a good storyteller...and [he] knows how to describe and explain complex and esoteric subjects."--San Diego Union-Tribune

"Fascinating...Simon Singh loves storytelling and has a knack for digging up underappreciated characters."--New York Newsday

"The history of mathematics comes alive even for those who dread balancing their checkbooks."--Publishers Weekly on Fermat's Enigma

"Brings together...the geniuses who have secured communications, saved lives, and influenced the fate of nations. A pleasure to read."--Chicago Tribune on The Code Book

About the Author:

Simon Singh is a science journalist and TV producer. Having completed his Ph.D. at Cambridge he worked from 1991 to 1997 at the BBC producing Tomorrow’s World and co-directing the BAFTA award-winning documentary Fermat’s Last Theorem for the Horizon series. In 1997, he published Fermat’s Last Theorem, which was a no 1 best-seller in Britain and translated into 22 languages. In 1999, he published The Code Book.

About this edition

• Publisher: Fourth Estate
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0007162200
• ISBN 13: 9780007162208
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 532