Cosmos, published in 1980 alongside the PBS television series of the same name, takes readers on a journey from the edge of the observable universe to the inside of a living cell. Carl Sagan, an astronomer and planetary scientist, weaves together astronomy, biology, chemistry and history in thirteen chapters that mirror the episodes.
Topics include the origin of the elements in stars, the evolution of life on Earth, the exploration of Mars and the outer planets by robotic probes, the possibility of extraterrestrial civilisations and the scale of space and time. Sagan also tells the stories of scientists such as Eratosthenes, Kepler, Huygens and Einstein, and laments the destruction of the Library of Alexandria as a symbol of lost knowledge.
His writing is lyrical, humane and urgent, combining wonder with warnings about nuclear war and environmental damage, and with a passionate defence of scientific thinking. The book became one of the best-selling science books ever published in English and won a Hugo Award, and it continues to inspire people to study science.
Book details
| Author | Carl Sagan |
|---|---|
| First published | 1980 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Popular science |
| Type | Non-fiction |
| Pages (approx.) | 370 |
| Awards | Hugo Award for Best Non-Fiction Book 1981 |
Themes
- Scale of the universe
- History of science
- Origin of life
- Search for extraterrestrial life
- Scientific thinking
Who should read it
Anyone of any age who wants to feel the wonder of the universe and the human story of discovering it.