Birth of the Universe (Abrams Discoveries) [Paperback]

Trinh Xuan Thuan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1993

Chronicles the achievements of astronomy from ancient times to the present, paying special attention to Earth's place in the solar system and the universe, the "big bang" theory, and humans' attempts to find alien life. Original.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (October 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810928159
• ISBN-13: 978-0810928152
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #813,977 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Primer Book, October 2, 2000

By 

Manos Lingunis (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Birth of the Universe (Abrams Discoveries) (Paperback)

This book is a simple (yet not simplistic), well-rounded and very well illustrated primer to Cosmorgaphy / Cosmology. It is definitely recommended to anyone who wants to acquire a basic understanding of the subject.

The best parts of the book in my opinion are a few schematics explaining the different types of galaxies, the processes of star creation and death, the creation of the various chemical elements, etc. and the associated text. Overall this is a well balanced book with a "Documents" section appropriately short and author's opinions kept to a minimum.

The only negative aspect of the book is dwelling more than it was warranted on the spherical aberration of the Hubble space telescope and its consequences. The author was aware of the planned effort to correct the problem and should probably have spent less time mentioning it in anticipation of the pending corrective action.