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Cosmos (0345331354)
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| Cosmos was the first science TV blockbuster, and Carl Sagan was its (human) star. By the time of Sagan's death in 1996, the series had been seen by half a billion people; Sagan was perhaps the best-known scientist on the planet. Explaining how the series came about, Sagan recalled: I was positive from my own experience that an enormous global interest exists in the exploration of the planets and in many kindred scientific topics--the origin of life, the Earth, and the Cosmos, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, our connection with the universe. And I was certain that this interest could be excited through that most powerful communications medium, television. Sagan's own interest and enthusiasm for the universe were so vivid and infectious, his screen presence so engaging, that viewers and readers couldn't help but be caught up in his vision. From stars in their "billions and billions" to the amino acids in the primordial ocean, Sagan communicated a feeling for science as a process of discovery. Inevitably, some of the science in Cosmos has been outdated in the years since 1980--but Sagan's sense of wonder is ageless. --Mary Ellen Curtin Editorial Descriptions are usually submitted by the manufacturers, publishers and authors. Contact us if you are one of them, and wish to change the above description. |
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Author: Guest
Sagan accomplished a lot in writing Cosmos. This book established him for the rest of his life as the most famous advocate of science in the English-speaking world, made him a household name and a huge figure in popular culture. He introduced if not "billions and billions" then certainly millions to some of science's heaviest concepts, and found a way to do it in terms that bored no one and set off imaginations in a positive way.
In Cosmos, the earth is established as but one speck in a vast ocean of galactic one-ness and the mind is invited to open wide and ponder just how enormous everything that's out there is. Sagan explains supernovas and black holes, tackles concepts like time and the environment of planet earth. He lauds the ancient Greeks and champions the greatest minds of science. Through his personality and charisma and his contagious love for his work, Sagan accomplished a near-miracle and brought an audience to what in other hands might have been the driest topics imaginable.
Cosmos is one of the best works of scientific non-fiction ever composed, and I hope it remains well-read into coming generations. I am old enough to remember when Sagan was a celebrated superstar in the late 1980's, parodied on comedy shows and a soft drink commercial, and it puzzles me how less than ten years after death robbed us of Carl Sagan, he is already slipping away from popular memory and how so few people under the age of about 20 even know who he is. I was having a conversation about this just last night with a high school senior I tutor. She is a bright girl, representative of her peers and social class, and yet when I mentioned this book and its author, she gave me a blank, "I've never heard of that."
I gave her my copy, but, boy, talk about feeling old...
Anyway, I love this book, whole-heartedly recommend it, and I hope this review in some tiny way encourages its reading.
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Author: Guest
An INcredible eye opener. I was worried about all the technical lingo, but it was easy to understand. I am a new person with a broader horizon after reading this book. You look at the earth and the sky in a whole different way. The world would be a much better place if EVERYONE would read this book.
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Author: Guest
Cosmos changed my outlook on the world "out there". When it comes time to relax and read a really interesting book that is full of very intelligent data, pick this up. How about a great book to read the next time you take a transatlantic trip on the airplane or simply relaxing by the pool this Summer. What an enjoyment, I have probably read this over 100 times and each time I take something new from it. Cosmos is a genuine masterpiece BUY IT! Read it forever. I love Mr. Sagan. Plus it looks so impressive on your bookshelf.
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Author: Guest
This humbling book was read by someone who needed humbling. When Sagan was alive doing his PBS shows this reviewer did not watch them. He had determined that Nova would be a dumbed down science program not unlike the contents of a Pschyology Today article. An apology is required but to who? Perhaps to the reviewer who had too much hubris to pay attention and short shifted himself. He is a wiser reviewer now.
Cosmos is a book written for the mass market and can be found in your local grocery store. The value here is that any one can pick it up very inexpensively and explore a plethora of scientific ideas in a deep yet readable way. Many of us do not have the training and skills that allow us to understand the details of a scientific study. Sagan provides us a history that is there for the everyman who yearns for information.
Sagan presents his case with some biography such as Kepler and Newton. Some evolution, autobiography and some cosmology. For us scientific little leaguers he presents all of his ideas from a scientific method. Nothing in science happens (or happened) without intelligent hypotheses, testing and review by people who understand the tests and can offer something to them.
The book is written in an engaging style that is florid enough to keep the reader interested even in the moments that may seem arcane. Should the reader stick with those moments they will be satisfied with a clear answer to their question.
A book like this has been in print since 1980. People must be reading it. Those that have are rewarded with ideas and reasons to pursue new adventures in science as a result.
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Author: Guest
My education and upbringing have taken place within a society that respects science and the awesome reality it attempts to describe. I am sure this is due, in large part, to the bold and tireless work of scientists such as the late Carl Sagan in capturing the hearts and minds of so many with works like Cosmos.
In this book, Sagan gives us a tantalizing sample of the great knowledge we humans have amassed over the past two thousand years, interrupted by the ignorance of the Dark Ages and revived with the Renaissance. Incorporating history, biology, astronomy, physics, religion, and politics into the discussion, he discusses how exploration of the Cosmos can help answer the timeless question: Who are we?
Sagan shows in this book how, by reaching out to the stars, by continually questioning and expanding our visions of the universe, we humans can better understand our place in the Cosmos. Although we have found our home planet to be a "mote of dust circling a humdrum star in the remotest corner of an obscure galaxy," we are nonetheless extremely precious beings within the vast emptiness of the Cosmos. Our origins lie with the stars, and in the stars rests our destiny as a race, should we escape the petty quarrels that engulf our governments even today.
An inspiring work with valuable insight into the value of science and reason, as well as what it means to be human. In spite of its age (25 years!), I heartily recommend Cosmos to anyone that has ever been struck by the beauty and wonder of the universe we inhabit.
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