Customer Reviews

Don't Know Much About the Universe: Everything You Need to Know About Outer Space but Never Learned

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Davis lists an impressive bibliography of sources. If only he had actually consulted them.

For a book promising "Everything you need to know about the cosmos but never learned," this trots out a dismaying wealth of old myth and sets little of the record straight. According to Davis, Stonehenge -- which he incorrectly glosses as "stone hinge," obviously unaware what a henge is -- was built by druids around 1900 BC. As every English schoolchild knows, it was a ruin centuries before the first druid ever set foot in Britain. (There is a reason that it and dozens of other stone circles are known as "Stone Age Monuments.")

Davis has astronomer Tycho Brahe die from a urinary tract infection after an all-night bender. Brahe in fact died from complications of a burst bladder because he considered it impolite to leave a six-hour banquet in his honor long enough to relieve himself -- which Davis could have gleaned from any responsible biography.

He perpetuates when he could have punctured the myth (eagerly promoted by Welles himself) that Orson Welles's "War of the Worlds" broadcast sent "millions" into panic in 1938. Davis can't spell Copernicus's Polish name (Koppernigk, not "Kopernik"). ...

I could forgive all of this if Davis would only, like the even more factually-deprived Richard Shenkman, deliver a good read. But he's surprisingly turgid and uninteresting.

Take Davis's title at its word. This is one to leave on the shelf.

Contrary to the other 2 reviews, I thought this did exactly what I hoped. This is a simple review -- okay, simplistic review -- of the universe, but I was barely 8 when I last had any formal instruction about the vastness of the heavens. I have managed to be successful in my life in spite of this dereliction, but now in the comfort of an easy chair with a cigar and glass of cab for company, I can finally learn that some guy in 300 some-odd BC calculated the earth's circumference to within a couple hundred miles. My kids knew that, of course -- probably from some video game -- but it was a wowie for me. So what if Davis doesn't know how to spell Polish names. I am not trying out for a spot on the next Mars mission. This may not be a scholarly work, but it's a good read.

Kenneth Davis' "Don't Know Much About..." books are fun and interesting. There are occasional factual errors, so use his works to get an overview or refreshment of the subject, and don't rely too heavily on specific historical anecdotes. But I recommend reading, not listening. Davis has a penchant for droning on about himself, his critique of the schools, and his own philosophy of learning. When doing so, he is verbose and repetitive. With a book, you can skim over his homilies and get to the data points. Unfortunately, you can't do that with an audiocassette or CD. In addition, the charts and lists he puts in his books are fine when you can view them, but they don't come through well when he reads them to you. I recommend skipping the cassettes or CDs -- try the books.

Overall, I liked this book more than many of the other reviewers. Sure, there are some factual errors (enough to drop my rating down to 4 stars), but Davis gets his facts right 9 times out of 10. The material is broken up in a very logical manner, and the questions Davis chooses to pose, then answer, form a cohesive overview of the subject.

I think anyone with enough interest in the subject to consider reading this book will come away fairly satisfied with what is delivered. Recommended.

Did you sign up for Astronomy 101 in college, and drop it like a hot potato when you found out how much of it was physics and math? Were you just gung-ho to look at the stars and learn about the planets, and do you get a kick out of all those terms they're always mentioning on Star Trek -- the ones that are real? Then this is the book for you. It's not for the serious astronomer, nor for the in-depth student. It's just what the title promises: a book of facts and explanations for the person who gets a kick out of outer space, and always wanted to know more. Sure, there are some chapters that are a little dry, but it's all a matter of taste. Definitely recommended for both teen and adult space enthusiasts.

Well, I did not read the book, but I did waste [good money] to buy this set on CD (not on amazon.com). Hey - the entire 1st CD is a total waste of time. The guy talks and talks and talks, and says nothing of value! Kind of like - here - let me tell you about this stuff I'm going to tell you about, when I tell you about it eventually.... By CD #2 I gave up. Lots of ridiculous trivia. Believe me - you don't know this stuff - you don't need to know this stuff - unless they come out with a Trivial Pursuit of little known cosmos trivia. Definite PASS on this one!

As in the other books in this series, Davis attempts to inform his readers about elements that we "never learned" in school. Whether it's history, geography, or the Bible, Davis always illuminates areas that people THINK they know about, but don't. This work is no exception. In his standard question and answer format, Davis covers `The Universe' from the beginnings of astronomy, to the `Big Bang' theory (not what most people think it is), to the question of `are we alone' in the universe? He also includes scientific milestones, mostly of astronomy, that are enlightening - and at times humorous: Wan Hu attempted the first manned flight in 1500 by tying 47 rockets to a chair; "the device explodes, killing Wan Hu, who acted as pilot." (43) On a more serious note, Davis also outlines Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Bruno, and others who challenged the accepted `everything revolves around us - literally' mentality, and sometimes paid for these challenges with excommunication, ridicule, and grievous bodily harm.
In terms of helpful information, Davis provides a planet-by-planet description of our solar system. In the light of recent unmanned journeys to Mars, it's interesting to compare the theories of life on the `red planet' with what current events may bring. The insertion of cartoons depicting the space race, space travel, and other related issues is another good historical context for the book's information, as well as breaking up the sometimes dense scientific material. For a non-expert, this book is a great introduction to `The Universe', and is second, in my opinion, to Davis' best work in this genre, his original `Don't Know Much About History'. Well worth reading.

The extreme numbers measuring temperature, distance, and light years are incomprehensible after awhile (Everett Dirksen's quote about billions adding up to real money is adapted here effectively). Several passages need rereading to understand fully, not from Ken Davis' writing (which remains concise despite some shoehorned pop culture references) as from the subject of an ever-expanding, changing universe being difficult to get your arms around to start with. Moreover, a book describing awe-inspiring star and planet activity could provide better illustrations and photos than some old New Yorker cartoons.

That said, Ken Davis' "Don't Know Much" template has allowed him to write a best-selling series of books introducing and explaining everything from geography to the Bible to the Civil War, plus a separate children's book series and popular Web site. "Don't Know Much About The Universe" continued his successful series. Davis allows you to see and understand the universe's wonder while detailing the human drama it often inspired.

In doing so, Davis knows when to express opinion (giving his on John Glenn's 1997 return to space and the hidden agenda in 1986's Challenger tragedy) and when to stand back while offering many.(His final chapter, "The Old One's Secrets," deftly describes theories surrounding how the universe began while continuing to consider Creator involvement. He also however, drops in references to "Oklahoma!" and Gertrude Stein.)

As with his other books, Davis tells his story as a series of answered questions covering everything from life on distant planets to new understandings of scientific icons (Galileo, Werner von Braun, Albert Einstein). Throughout "Don't Know Much," Davis effectively describes opposition these and other astronomy heroes faced from government (investigated Einstein, forced accused war criminal Arthur Rudolph from the country), Roman Catholicism (which cleared Gallileo 10 years ago for writings nearly 400 years before) and even rivalry within its own ranks (Issac Newton's story here is particularly instructive.) Davis also charts a timeline of astronomy's historic events and provides a lengthy bibliography and list of recommended magazines and Web sites.

Somehow amidst the star-struck name dropping (plentiful but which, to be fair, lightened and even explained more difficult concepts), Davis somehow missed a quote from the rock band the Eagles: "Just remember this, my girl, when you look up in the sky/you can see the stars but still not see the light." For anyone looking at the stars inspired to know more of their origins and activity, "Don't Know Much" provides a illuminating, compact look at an ever expanding subject.

I am a big fan of the series, but this one is lacking. Some factual errors, first and foremost. Not everything covered and a little long winded in some areas. The section on Einstein is one of the better ones, as is the missions to the moon. Overall, not one of Davis' best works. If you are looking for one of his better writings in this series, the one about the Bible is a good reference book. Better books written on the universe beginning with "Cosmos."

I've read all of the books in the "Don't Know Much About.." series. If you're interested in getting a rather thorough overview without becoming an expert, these books are for you. They are so easy to read, that I couldn't but them down.