The Universe
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Summary
Blending scientific inquiry with humanistic spirit, it traces the story from the smallest of human affairs back to the origins of all things, examining ourselves from the vast perspective of the cosmos. The author cross-pollinates astronomy, biology, chemistry, and geography, weaving science together with history, art, anthropology, and philosophy to describe the cosmos past and present, helping readers embrace science and understand humanity's place in the universe.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- General readers interested in astronomy and the history of science who want to build a big-picture view of the cosmos
- Readers who enjoy writing at the intersection of science and the humanities and prefer narrative nonfiction
- Upper-secondary students and university students looking to broaden their interdisciplinary horizons
- Viewers who want to read alongside the Cosmos documentary to deepen their understanding
Not a good fit for
- Readers expecting a systematic, textbook-style astronomy course with professional formula derivations
- Readers who prefer fast-paced plots and have limited patience for popular-science exposition
- Readers seeking only the latest astronomical discoveries and cutting-edge data
Reading tips
- Start with the table of contents and pick the chapter that interests you most rather than plowing straight through.
- After each chapter, restate its core ideas in a few sentences to help link the interdisciplinary information into a thread.
- Slow down for passages about historical figures and use the notes to understand the era.
- Read alongside documentary clips to use images to convey the sense of scale that words struggle to capture.
About the publisher
Founded in May 1978, the press was originally affiliated with the Shanghai Institute of Scientific and Technical Information and now operates under Shanghai Century Publishing Group, entrusted to the management of Shanghai Library. It publishes in science and technology popularization, medicine and health, and documentary and cultural works, drawing on the library's rich collections.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 前言
- 第一章 星海之滨
- 第二章 宇宙的复调
- 第三章 和谐世界
- 第四章 天堂和地狱
- 第五章 红星蓝调
- 第六章 旅行者的故事
- 第七章 夜空之脊
- 第八章 时空之旅
- 第九章 恒星的一生
- 第十章 永恒的尽头
- 第十一章 记忆挥之不去
- 第十二章 银河百科全书
- 第十三章 谁为地球代言
- 致谢
- 附录1 归谬法和2的平方根
- 附录2 五个毕达哥拉斯正多面体
- 作者
- 卡尔·萨根大事记
- 译者
- 科学顾问
FAQ
Can I understand this book without a science background?
What is the relationship between this book and the documentary of the same name?
Is it better read in one sitting or slowly, chapter by chapter?
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About the author
Carl Sagan is a science writer well received by Chinese readers, with works appearing in categories such as popular science, quality fiction, and social science; four of his works are included in the library. Representative titles such as Cosmos, Contact, and The Demon-Haunted World show that he was skilled at connecting scientific knowledge—astronomy and physics in particular—with human civilization and social issues, guiding readers toward an understanding of the natural world and the scientific method in clear and imaginative language. Contact develops scientific imagination through fiction, while The Demon-Haunted World focuses on distinguishing scientific thinking from superstition and pseudoscience, reflecting a writing approach that both popularizes knowledge for general readers and emphasizes reason and critical thinking. Public information about his specific biography, education, and honors is limited, so no speculation is offered here; readers can sense the range of his subjects and his style of science writing through the works mentioned above.
Yu Beiming is an author about whom limited public information is available; the database contains five of their works. Judging from representative titles such as Cosmos, Contact, The Demon-Haunted World, A Fire Upon the Deep and Ready Player One (Illustrated Annotated Edition), their writing and editorial work spans popular science, literary fiction and science fiction. The works include accessible presentations of the universe and scientific topics as well as science-fiction narratives and illustrated, annotated editions. Overall, Yu Beiming's profile centers on popular science and science fiction, balancing readability with factual content and showing a varied range of interests within these categories. As no clear records of birth and death dates, nationality or other biographical details are available, this introduction is based solely on the works and category information in the database and makes no speculation about the author's personal life.
