"The Universe: A Biography" makes cosmology accessible to everyone. John Gribbin navigates the latest frontiers of scientific discovery to tell us what we really know about the history of the universe. Along the way, he describes how the universe began; what the early universe looked like; how its structure developed; and what emerged to hold it all together. He describes where the elements came from; how stars and galaxies formed; and the story of how life emerged. He even looks to the future: is the history of the universe going to end with a Big Crunch or a Big Rip?

2008-05-05 An interesting variety of ideas

Gribbin updates his previous similar books ( In the Begining & The Case of the missing neutrinos ) with quite a diverse book. It is obvious that to understand large scale events in the universe, also requires a grasp of the very small. Gribbin kicks off with several chapters to bridge this gap and his analogies are spot on.

However, despite reading loads of popular science and being educated in A-level physics, I still found the first hundred pages a bit of a labour of love. It could have done with a chart to help picture the relationship of the small particles mentioned. The glossary of terms was a helpful aid.

After this small matter (sorry), the actual universe description was characteristically spectacular. This was Gribbin on home territory and generally describing areas of science that seem better understood.

All things considered, if you want up to date cosmology knowledge without equations, this is highly recommended. If you would prefer a slightly easier read on a similar subject, consider "Our cosmic origins" by Armand Delsemme or "The 5 ages of the Universe" by Gregory Laughlin, which I thought were both fantastic reads.