Destiny or Chance: Our Solar System and its Place in the Cosmos [Paperback]

Stuart Ross Taylor (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521785219 | ISBN-13: 978-0521785211 | Publication Date: December 11, 2000 | Edition: 1st Pbk. Ed

Written by a leading planetary scientist, this engaging book tells the remarkable story of how our solar system came into existence and provides an expert tour of the Earth, its planetary neighbors and other planetary systems. In a whirlwind adventure, we explore how the formation of mighty Jupiter dominated the solar system, why Mars is so small, where comets come from, how rings form around planets, why asteroids exist and why Pluto isn't a planet at all. En route, we discover the role of chance events in shaping the course of the history of our solar system. Dramatic collisions, for example, caused the tilts and spins of the planets, the extinction of the dinosaurs and the rise of man. Finally, we look at how suitable Earth is for harboring life, what other planetary systems look like and whether we are alone in the cosmos. For all those interested in understanding our solar system and its place in the cosmos, this is a lucid and compelling read. Stuart Taylor is the recipient of numerous academic awards, including the Norman L. Bowen Award from the American Geophysical Union for his important contributions to our understanding of the origins and early history of the Earth and Moon. In 1997, Asteroid 5670 was named Rosstaylor in his honor. He is the author of Solar System Evolution (Cambridge, 1992).

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Professor Stuart Taylor of the Australian National University is a planetary scientist well qualified to write on this subject, and he has produced a clear account of the complex occurrences over the past 4 to 5 billion years that have led to the formation of the Earth, Moon and planets...an easily readable account of the formation of the Solar System." Nature

"This is a book that should be read by anyone who wants to be a scientist, is a scientist, or is interested in science." Geological Magazine

"...a wonderful book....This is not just another descriptive book about the solar system, but a book that explores the implications fo that description....[It] can be profitably be read ... by anyone from motivated high school students to professional scientists." /s Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin

"Destiny or Chance offers a friendly, informative read on the origins of our solar system, and is sure to satisfy and delight even the most inquisitive readers." Yale Scientific Magazine

" This is just a wonderful book. This is not just another descriptive book about the solar system, but a book that explores the implications of that description." Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin

Book Description

Written by a leading planetary scientist, this book tells the remarkable story of how our solar system came into existence. It provides a fast-paced, non-technical and expert tour of our new understanding of the Earth, its planetary neighbours and other planetary systems. En route we discover that chance events have shaped the course of the history of our solar system. Dramatic collisions, for example, caused the tilts and spins of the planets, the extinction of the dinosaurs and the rise of man. For all those interested in understanding our solar system and its place in the cosmos, this is a lucid and compelling read.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1st Pbk. Ed edition (December 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521785219
• ISBN-13: 978-0521785211
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,750,511 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating narrative of Solar System creation, July 2, 2003

By 

Wayne's Books "www.WaynesBooks.net" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Destiny or Chance: Our Solar System and its Place in the Cosmos (Hardcover)

Having just finished the book, and enjoying it immensely, I was curious what the general consensus was on this work. I was a bit surprised at the negativity aimed at the book.

The negative reviews appear to come from students dismayed with the writing style. They should have read the Introduction. For more scholarly purposes, Taylor refers the reader to his more properly cited and thorough work, Solar System Evolution (1992). This volume's style is more akin to a museum tour, with meandering asides and conjectures. Taylor's references to subjects past and further-on are no trouble, if one reads to book front-to-back. I can see how students picking through the book "salad-bar" style would become frustrated.

For a book intended for the layman, the style is very effective. As a casual read, it was intruiging and entertaining. Taylor brought me to a more comprehensive view of our Solar System, and its strange members. He goes to great efforts to keep his writing accessible, and scientific jargon to a manageable level.

As a nit-picky student of English, I'll confess to not seeing all the "typos" mentioned in prior reviews. Either I missed them, or the other readers are in error. One glaring error I did notice was a picture and caption reference to a "Brontosaurus." This term has been out of favor for decades, and is only seen in books for children. The correct word is "Apatosaurus."

For a good view of the present state of knowledge of the origins of the Solar System, I'd recommend this book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Some scientist just can't write for non-scientists, September 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Destiny or Chance: Our Solar System and its Place in the Cosmos (Paperback)

Taylor has written one of the worst science books I have ever read. If I didn't have to finish it for class, I would have put (nay, THREW) it down before the first chapter was over. I'm not criticizing the science in the book, which I believe is quite good, since Taylor is a well-respected planetary geologist. The problems with this book, rather, are primarily grammatical and stylistic. First, and most ingratiating, Taylor keeps telling us that he will explain things "later". I lost count of the number of times the sentence "More on that later." ends a paragraph. Secondly, there are a number of typographical errors in the book, mainly the kind discovered only by human proofreaders (like using "from" instead of "form"). It seems as if Taylor just did a spell check on his final draft and then sent it off to the printers. Thirdly, there is no flow to the book. Sentences are, for the most part, simple. Paragraphs and sections follow one another with apparently no connection, like a laundry list of information. Unlike a novel, the reader of this kind of book should have some idea where it is going and what grand statement is being proved. This doesn't happen. Fourthly, Taylor spends too much time explaining simple concepts but not enough time on difficult concepts. He also thinks that annoying pop culture references will clarify things. Finally, otherwise this list would be much to long, Taylor doesn't show any interest in his subject. I know he IS interested, since he spent his entire life studying our solar system, but you wouldn't get that idea from the book. This must be due to bad writing. Sorry Taylor, but you ... at it.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Chaos in the making, May 4, 2001

By 

Martin Peacock (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Destiny or Chance: Our Solar System and its Place in the Cosmos (Paperback)

The main point of this book is the chaotic way in which our solar system came into being. It cannot be described in a systematic scientific way, but is rather a hotchpotch of elements thrown together through a series of bewilderingly complex and random processes.

A bit like Mr Taylor's book in fact.

Perhaps in order to empathise with his content, Mr Taylor has adopted a style of writing and presentation that is every bit as chaotic and unstructured as our solar system.

Muddled, repetitive, incohesive and full of irritating references to what was said earlier or what is about to be said, the book reads like a series of draft lecture notes thrown together with all the abandon that distinguishes the creation of our solar system.

Above all, the poor quality of description makes the reading a frustrating experience:

"When a meteorite or comet hits the surface, debris is thrown out by the explosion and surrounds the crater like a blanket. Unlike craters on other planets, those on Venus often have a missing sector. This gap is caused when the rubble thrown-out (sic) by the explosion runs into turbulence in the atmosphere caused by the incoming meteorite or asteroid. The flung-out rock just gets tossed aside."

As did this book.