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Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Donald Goldsmith (Author) "In the beginning, there was physics..." (more)
Key Phrases: exosolar planets, anthropic approach, lithium nuclei, Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble Telescope, Isaac Newton (more...)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In this companion volume to the two-part NOVA television special by the same title, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and astronomy writer Donald Goldsmith attempt to cram 14 billion years of history into 300 pages. The result of this audacious exercise is a surprising and engrossing book, one that far surpasses the droning tone of so many astronomy texts. Starting (of course) with the Big Bang and ending with the search for extraterrestrial life, the authors synthesize the results of several scientific fields to present a sort of cosmological consilience. They also emphasize the scientific method and its inherent skepticism as the only way to understand such mysteries as dark matter, stellar formation, and the origin of life on Earth. Although several books are published each year that provide overviews of various branches of science, what's different about this one is the accessible tone of the writing. The authors use mild humor throughout to keep readers going in difficult sections; for instance, when assessing the question of why we live during the rare time when the amounts of dark and not-dark energy are roughly equal in the universe, they relate that cosmologist Michael Turner calls the situation the "'Nancy Kerrigan problem,' in honor of the Olympic figure skater, who asked... 'Why me? Why now?'" Combining 21st-century astronomy, astrobiology, astrochemistry, and other disciplines, Origins is a fine guidebook with which to journey "back to the beginning of everything." --Therese Littleton


From Publishers Weekly

This is the most informative, congenial and accessible general look at cosmology to come along since Carl Sagan's Cosmos 27 years ago—and, like Cosmos, it's a companion to a PBS series, in this case a Nova special (to air on September 28 and 29). But Tyson (The Sky Is Not the Limit, etc.), who's director of Manhattan's Hayden Planetarium, and Goldsmith (Connecting with the Cosmos, etc.) are no Sagan clones; they bring a distinct point of view and tone to this title. The point of view surfaces right away, both with their concerted effort to draw in numerous branches of science to explain the story of cosmic evolution, and with the statement that "science depends on organized skepticism." The authors continually refer to the reach and limits of science, explaining, as they offer a chronological tour of cosmic history, just what they think science can tell us and what it can't (as they end the journey, focusing on the possibility of extraterrestrial life, they deliver several sharp blows to true believers of UFOs). The tone is informational, aimed at high clarity, and laced with giddy humor: "A hundred billion years from now... all but the closest galaxies will have vanished over our horizon of visibility. Enjoy the view while you can." Beginning at the beginning, Tyson and Goldsmith tackle the origin of the universe and its nature—from antimatter to dark matter and dark energy to the possibility of multiverses; how the universe became organized; the origin of stars; a fascinating look at the periodic table; the origin of planets, including a vivid discuss of planets outside our solar system; and the origin of life. Much of this material will necessarily be familiar to regular readers of popular science, but even they will benefit from Tyson and Goldsmith's incorporation of the latest cosmological developments, from string theory to recent thinking on dark energy; and if this book breaks out, as it has real potential to do, general readers of every stripe will benefit from the authors' sophisticated, deeply knowledgeable presentation. If the casual book buyer purchases one science book this year, this should be the one.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (September 28, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0393059928
  • ISBN-13: 978-0393059922
  • Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #314,190 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Neil deGrasse Tyson
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
In the beginning, there was physics. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
exosolar planets, anthropic approach, lithium nuclei, peculiar galaxies, cosmic background radiation, dark energy, intelligent civilization, deep sea vents, inflationary model, newborn stars, recession velocities, thermonuclear fusion, cosmic expansion
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble Telescope, Isaac Newton, Kuiper Belt, Albert Einstein, Bell Labs, Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, Discovering Galaxies, Fred Hoyle, Let There Be More Dark, Mauna Kea Observatory, United States, World War, Alpha Centauri, Large Magellanic Cloud, Let There Be Light, Sir William, Space Telescope Science Institute
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Customer Reviews

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4.2 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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60 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars A good starting point, September 17, 2004
By J. Dretler (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
"Origins", Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Donald Goldsmith's new book, subtitled -the search for ourselves in the universe, has attempted much in tackling the real `biggest story ever told'. It is largely successful. It presents a general survey of cosmologic history from the `big bang' through the formation of galaxies, planets, and life with most of the emphasis on the earliest period. All of this is accomplished almost entirely without math, with some humor, and is a good starting point for the high school or college undergraduate student without a scientific background. It presents a more detailed scientific picture with less `wonder' than the late Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" but some readers may want more depth. For those I would recommend Steven Weinberg's "The First Three Minutes", or from the biologist's viewpoint, Morowitz's "The Emergence of Everything" which starts with the `big bang' and continues the story step-wise to explain complexity and emergence. For the general reader "Origins" presents an introduction to much mind-opening material including the mysterious `dark matter', isotropism, discussions about the curvature of space-time and the inflationary model of the universe that has the potential to stimulate further study or simply be enjoyed for itself.
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Science, November 23, 2004
Tyson and Goldsmith distill a complex subject of both immense philosophical and physical implications into 300 pages of readable text. The format is interesting, although it poses some material early on that is fairly daunting. The introduction to this subject I received by watching the 4-hour PBS production motivated me, however, to push through the tough stuff. As it turned out, the authors used the first chapter as an overview of everything, then used subsequent chapters to expand on individual concepts presented in the first chapter. I would have preferred the first chapter at the end, allowing the Preface to suffice as an introduction to the material. You may want to try reading the preface, then skipping ahead to the second chapter, saving the first chapter for last. This may keep you from tossing the book aside before giving it a fair chance. Just a thought. The title "Origins" threw me because I assumed it focused on Darwin's theory; however, this book is more than that, and combines elements of astrophysics, biology, and geology to describe how the universe was created, and the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. As Sagan would say, there appears to be billions and billions of opportunities for life in the universe.

For the serious scientist, I would further recommend: Steven Weinberg, author of several books on the subject, including: the "Quantam Theory of Fields" Volumes I and II, and "The First Three Minutes." Also, B. Reed's book "Quantam Mechanics: A 1st Course," and Brian Greene's "The Elegant Universe," seem to be popular. These books give a more detailed, math-heavy version of Origins.


As an amateur scientist, rather weak in mathematics, I am happy with the depth of studying Origins, and enjoyed the color photos in this book. Carl Sagan's books "Cosmos" and "Billions and Billions" are good supplements to this book, written at a similar level, approachable by non-scientists.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Challenge for Non-Scientists, October 29, 2004
If you saw the PBS special on "Origins," you know that Neil DeGrasse Tyson does a great job of translating astrophysics into normal human language. This book goes into much greater detail and merits a gradual reading by non-scientists like myself. The Preface is a clear introduction to the issues. The next section, Overture, is intentionally overwhelming with its "Greatest Story Ever Told." If you are not frustrated by this chapter, you know a lot more about physics than I do! Ah, but that is the point. Hang in there, because the rest of the book explains the Overture, one topic at a time. I am reading part of a chapter each day at lunch and find something amazing each day. This is a good book for people who want to challenge their assumptions about reality.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Neil Degrasse Tyson is tops!
You can't go wrong with any of Neil Degrasse Tyson's books. He is a wonderful teacher who makes astronomy come alive! No matter what your age he is spellbounding. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Nicole Boar

5.0 out of 5 stars Oldie but goodie.
I just finished this book for the third time and I figured I'd share my admiration for Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson and what he was able to do in this book with the world. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mizango

3.0 out of 5 stars A pretty good popularization
I've been getting so tired of Cambridge scientists and Harvard scientists talking down the nose about string or brane theory. Read more
Published 11 months ago by R. Bagula

4.0 out of 5 stars Technical, but approachable--perfect for the curious hobbyist
Tyson proves that he is a great nonfiction writer yet again with this deep foray into the history of the universe. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Brad Fults

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but Simple
I purchased this book to have something to read on an airplane ride to Europe. I had already read and enjoyed Death By Black Hole so I figured I would give this a try... Read more
Published 16 months ago by A. Russ

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview
This is the best summary of our cosmic history, written for the intelligent laymen. Dr. Tyson is a master at bringing things down to a intellectually respectable level without... Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars Origins Review
Highly recommend. Prof. Tyson is good teacher, and despite his position and impressive curriculum vitae, personally responded to some questions that arose from reading the book... Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars A science masterpiece! Breaks new ground in presentation of material.
Here it is about 10 years since Carl Sagan passed away, and we are now being treated to works by Neil deGrasse Tyson. Read more
Published on May 6, 2007 by white gold wielder

4.0 out of 5 stars How it all began
Imagine a time in the future when space travel is perfected: you can zip between the stars in a day, rather than the millennia it would currently take. Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book
I am a recently graduated high school student, going on to university in September. I am by no means a physicist or astronomer. Read more
Published on March 13, 2007 by Raymond Parkinson

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