Customer Reviews

In Search of the Edge of Time: Black Holes, White Holes, Wormholes (Practical Resources for the Mental Health Professionals)

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But there's nothing wrong with history, is there? Most of the book covers the mathematical and physical explorations of thinkers from the Greek age through the 20th century, but only conceptually--not mathematically. For those who want an introduction to the myriad theories of how the universe was created, how it might be destroyed, and why there may be an infinite quantity of universes in existence, this is a good book to pick up. But for those of a more math-oriented disposition looking for something with immense detail and depth, you may want to look elsehwere. This one covers the basics, and covers them well.

In reading this amazing journey through space and time, being shown the possibilities of science and physics, one is reminded of how Leonardo da Vinci must have felt 500 years ago while developing his various phylosophies. Knowing it would be possible to fly heavier-than-air machines and so on... but not being able to actually develop such machines himself. John Gribbin delivers proof which was developed by some of the finest brains in science and physics, that travelling at the speed of light and beyond is possible, and not prevented by the laws of physics. The only problem is that at the dawn of the 21st century we are not able to manufacture such machines, we can only fantasize about such an event and dare to guess when we will be able to build such machines.

I don't know how many books have been written on the subject of black holes, but this is a great one to start with. Gribbin is a great writer--he has an excellent command of writing science in a clear way that makes you want to keep reading to see what he'll say next. I found the abstract descriptions of spacetime in the later chapters a little hard to read, but otherwise I highly recommend the book.

***

Another good book on black holes is Kip S. Thorne, "Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy," but that one is much denser (no pun intended) and somewhat more technical.

As usual, John Gribbin tackles a complex subject in an easy-to-read style. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about this subject. =)

I purchased this book at a book sale for $1 and it was well worth it. I like the style of Gribbin's writing. He basically took some heavy material and wrote it in laymen's terms, so that anyone can read it. Some of the physics is terribly out of date, the cosmological constant and the fate of the universe are the two biggest that come to mind. But I think that the book was published in the early nineties so that is forgivable.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone interested in these topics, it was a fun physics read.

This book really got my mind thinking of the possibilities of the future. It showed the evolution of thinking. Things that are possible now that only visionaries saw in the past.

the break down of Black Holes, White Holes, Wormholes, Space Time, Hyperspace and the ideas of warping time and space are truly interesting. The book illustrations helped to understand some of the text. This book also showed how Einstein was a generation ahead of his time. People are still proving and using his theories.

An excellent book, highly recommended for anyone interested in the universe or the posibility of time travel. The mathematical theories that prove the possibility of a time machine are interesting also. Give this a read, and decide for yourself. Is it possible? Will it be possible? Has it already been done? Fact based information is presented with no tilt toward the science fiction. A good read, even if I had to read some of it a second time to make sure I followed, Gribbin brought these theories to a level a person of average intelligence can understand as I am far from a genious.