First Light: The Search for the Edge of the Universe [Paperback]

Richard Preston (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 29, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0812991850 | ISBN-13: 978-0812991857

Seven years before Richard Preston wrote about horrifying viruses in The Hot Zone, he turned his attention to the cosmos. In First Light, he demonstrates his gift for creating an exciting and absorbing narrative around a complex scientific subject--in this case the efforts by astronomers at the Palomar Observatory in the San Gabriel Mountains of California to peer to the farthest edges of space through the Hale Telescope, attempting to solve the riddle of the creation of the universe.

Richard Preston's name became a household word with The Hot Zone, which sold nearly 800,000 copies in hardcover, was on The New York Times's bestseller list for 42 weeks, and was the subject of countless magazine and newspaper articles. Preston has become a sought-after commentator on popular science subjects.

For this hardcover reprint of what has been called "the best popular account of astronomy in action," (Kirkus Reviews) he has revised the text and written a new introduction.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"There is a saying among astronomers that five billion people concern themselves with the surface of the Earth, and ten thousand with everything else," writes Richard Preston, best-selling author of The Hot Zone. And if you think these professional stargazers spend most of their time serenely peering into the night sky, guess again. Today's astronomers are world-class gadgeteers who scurry about giant (and often frigid) observatories tinkering with the mechanical and electronic tools of their trade. In First Light, they tangle with the Hale Telescope, one of the world's oldest and largest. This beautifully written book is highly recommended for anybody interested in astronomy. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA As the title suggests, this is a book on astronomy, but it is also a great deal more than that. Nominally, First Light is about the efforts of a group of astronomers who are attempting to map the edge of the known universe. Because the sheer size of the numbers and concepts involved in astronomy have an almost universal gee-whiz fascination, that subject is interesting reading all by itself. What really makes this book something special, however, are the portraits of the people involved: how they approach their work, how they interact with each other. What is made clear in First Light is that for all their genius, for all their magnificent achievements, these astronomers are just like the rest of us: subject to the same emotions and frustrations, foibles and shortcomings. With no index or bibliography, this is not a book for students who just want to get through their next science report, nor is it intended to be. Karl Penny , Houston Public Lib .
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 275 pages
• Publisher: Random House (October 29, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812991850
• ISBN-13: 978-0812991857
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #829,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard Preston is the bestselling author of The Hot Zone, The Demon in the Freezer, and the novel The Cobra Event. A writer for The New Yorker since 1985, Preston is the only nondoctor to have received the Centers for Disease Control's Champion of Prevention Award. He also holds an award from the American Institute of Physics. Preston lives outside of New York City.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read who anyone who enjoys a good read February 13, 1997

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

This book easily makes my "ten best books ever" list. It's the story of the scientists using the Palomar 200-inch telescope to look for the edge of the observable universe. But it's more than that. Like an involving novel (even though this is non-fiction), it's also a portrait of the engaging, human, and sometimes quirky characters involved. Finally, First Light is a stylishly written, seductive explanation of what's at stake as the science team tries to "drill wildcat holes in look-back time." Even if you hate science and care nothing for astronomy, this book will charm and delight you

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A book worth owning. . . July 17, 2003

By JW Barney

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I adore this book. Of course, I must give a disclaimer, I've always loved the subject of astronomy ever since I was very small. Unfortunately for me, I lacked the patience and the math skills to really delve into it, but books like Preston's, which are written for the layman but dare to delve a little, are a great read.

'First Light' follows two different groups of people: one working at the famed Palomar Telescope in Pasadena; the other, Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker of the Shoemaker Comets fame. The book is rich with detail and lovingly paints a picture of the kindly, eccentric and brilliant people who inhabit that world. Especially wonderful are the analogies that help you understand how large the universe is when compared to objects around us (i.e., "Imagine the sun the size of the dot on this i. . .").

No, the writing isn't flawless, but the depth of detail and the easy flow of the narrative will keep you reading. . .

Highly recommended for all ages.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Light Reading, but Uneven September 5, 2001

By Richard Kinne

Format:Hardcover

First Light starts out well by dealing with the Hale Telescope itself and the folks that work there (and in one case, actually keep the scope running). Preston also deals with some of the things the Hale had been used for years ago, concentrating on Dr. Schmidt's discovery of Quasars in the 1960s.

Part II deals with Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker's search for Trojan Asteroids orbit out near Jupiter. They used not the Hale Scope, but another, smaller, scope also on Mt. Palomar. While this is the best part of the book (the section on the Shoemaker's teaching Preston how to help them load film into the telescope is easily the best two pages of the book!), one wonders if it belongs here as this section deals neither with the Hale nor with anything near the edge of the Universe.

After the Shoemaker's section the book seems to lose its momentum and finally ends with little sense of closure. While you get an interesting sense of watching scientists at work this work is not presented as specific or highly interesting. Most of it is watching quasar candidates go by during observing runs on video screens.

In the end, this book has its moments, but is uneven in how it delivers them. If you're interested in a light read about this subject with little technical information and some (but not a lot) personality insights this book may be worth it.