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Carl Sagan: A Biography
 
 
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Carl Sagan: A Biography [Paperback]

Ray Spangenburg (Author), Kit Moser (Author)
2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Book Description

January 29, 2009
Astronomer, planetary scientist, astrophysicist, exobiologist, educator, public figure, skeptic all these hats represent important parts of Carl Sagan's complex, multifaceted career. Perhaps best known as the host of the popular television series Cosmos, Sagan offered to the world his extraordinary gift for cross-disciplinary research, his deep well of integrated visions and fruitful ideas, his vivid imagination, and his wealth of nonstop enthusiasm.

This concise, lively biography examines Carl Sagan's steady growth as a man, as a scientist, and as a communicator a man who had both odd quirks and great charisma, who had an immensely eclectic knowledge base and a unique understanding of the central place of science in the human experience, all of which dovetailed smoothly with his phenomenal ability to communicate.

Separate chapters are devoted to Sagan's interest in the origin of life, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), and his work on Cosmos, where he collaborated with Ann Druyan, whom he eventually married and who remained his wife to the end of his life. There are also sections on Sagan's public advocacy for science and critical stance toward pseudoscience and his role as an activist for the environment and the safe use of atomic power.

This updated, paperback edition of Carl Sagan: A Biography contains many new photos as well as textual additions by Ann Druyan. Veteran science writers Spangenburg and Moser have captured much of the enthusiasm, gift for effective communication, and unflinching honesty that characterized Carl Sagan's life and career.


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Editorial Reviews

Review

Carl Sagan: A Biography comes closer to the Carl I knew than other previous attempts at biography. Authors Moser and Spangenburg capture the drama, passion, and integrity of Carl's lifelong quest to know the cosmos. May this work kindle that fire in others. --Ann Druyan, wife of the late Carl Sagan and collaborator on many projects

Book Description

Portrays the life and work of one of the most famous and influential scientists of the late 20th century—the astronomer Carl Sagan.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 145 pages
  • Publisher: Prometheus Books (January 29, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 159102658X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1591026587
  • Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #591,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review
2.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A True Pioneer in Astronomy and Space Exploration, May 7, 2010
This review is from: Carl Sagan: A Biography (Paperback)
The late Carl Sagan inspired folks of all ages in learning about our universe, and having fun while doing it.

As the book notes, he was a fine scientist, despite being denied tenure by Harvard in the late 1960s. The authors show how through much of his career, he was often looked down on by fellow scientists for being such a public spokesperson for real science, appearing on popular television shows and in mass market magazines.

Actually there are those now who say astronomers could use a good communicator like Sagan to build up support for research and exploration. Sagan's book and public television series, Cosmos, energized us with the possibilities of life on Mars, the mysteries of Venus and strange environments of gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn, and many places beyond.

The authors show some of the failings and setbacks in Sagan's rather short life, including divorces, science mistakes, and poor interpersonal relations. A lot of that was new to me, but when included in the book just add to the overall portrait of this popular pioneer.

In fact, making mistakes put Sagan in some special company. I'll never forget the Cosmos section on Percival Lowell and his long, but false, fascination of canals and civilizations

on the Red Planet.

Sagan goes to Lowell Observatory, shows us Lowell's large refractor telescope and then opens the wooden dome to a night sky full of stars, and planets. That by itself, made me a amateur astronomer for life. And I'll bet many more folks around the world.

We certainly miss Carl and his enthusiasm in this time of polarization and lack of enthusiasm for the joys of real science. This biography of Sagan shows us what we lost with his passing in 1996 and how we can move forward and learn so much more about that sky full of wonders that we see each evening. And learn with lots of joy and excitement!!

Earl
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13 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars A good primer for new Sagan fans., May 26, 2009
How is this 31 dollars?!?!?!?!?! Not even the hardcover costs this much! What kind of crazy premium is being charged for this kindle version!?!

UPDATE: 6.14.09

The price has dropped to a more reasonable 10 dollars. I found the Biography to be very brief and not as in depth as I would like a biography of Carl Sagan to be. Hopefully one day Ann Druyan will remedy this and write a real in depth biography of Carl.
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2.0 out of 5 stars Very disapointing, July 28, 2011
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This review is from: Carl Sagan: A Biography (Paperback)
For a book that claims to be a biography about Sagan, it contains very little information about the person Carl Sagan. The pages are filled with details about persons that worked with him, and quite a bit about the science he did, but very little about Sagan himself. One cannot avoid the conclusion that Moser and Spangenburg just could not dig up any information on Sagan, except for material they got from the Poundstone biography, to which they frequently refer. I could not finish this book. One gets the impression that they wrote it one afternoon (which is how long it will take you to read this short book). What a disapointment!
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