The Universe: A Biography

Name: The Universe: A Biography
ISBN: 9787535794499

John GribbinHunan Science & Technology Press2018

4.5

Chapters: 13
Series: First Push Book Series · Cosmos Series
ISBN: 9787535794499

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Summary

The Universe: A Biography is a life story of the universe itself, written by the British science writer and astrophysicist John Gribbin. Taking the form of a biography, it recounts in chronological order the full course of the cosmos from its birth to its possible end: how the universe expanded from a tiny fireball into its present scale, what the early universe was like, how its structure developed and evolved, and what kind of matter holds everything together; where matter came from, how stars and galaxies formed, and how our solar system and the life within it emerged; and whether the universe will ultimately end in a Big Crunch or a Big Rip. As a biography, Gribbin does more than list conclusions: he first teaches readers to distinguish what we know from what we think we know, then unfolds several fundamental questions in physics and cosmology chapter by chapter: quantum uncertainty and the limits of our knowledge of the world, whether a theory of everything exists (touching on string theory, M-theory, extra dimensions, and supersymmetry), the origin and inflation of the universe, the evolution of the observable universe's structure, the four fundamental forces and dark matter, the origin of the chemical elements, the origin of the solar system and of life, and finally the fate of the universe. Written in accessible language and supplemented with a glossary, the book suits general readers who want a systematic picture of modern cosmology.

Editor's review

“第一推动丛书”是湖南科学技术出版社引进的一套经典科普丛书，遴选世界一流科学家的通俗作品，《宇宙传记》是其中宇宙系列的一册，2011年首版、2018年再版。它的独特之处在于视角：不是写某种理论，而是把宇宙当作传主，从大爆炸一路写到可能的终结，让读者像读人物传记一样读完一部宇宙史。格里宾毕业于剑桥大学天体物理学专业，长期从事科普写作，善于用平实的语言处理复杂概念。书中既讲恒星、星系、化学元素、太阳系和生命从何而来，也不回避“我们凭什么知道这些”——对科学方法本身的讨论，是本书最值得细细品味的地方。若你想找一本兼顾科学性与可读性、能建立宇宙学整体框架的入门读物，这本书是很稳妥的选择。

Who it's for

A good fit for

对天文、宇宙学有兴趣但缺少系统背景知识的普通读者
希望用一本书建立宇宙演化整体框架的理工科学生
喜欢科普阅读、偏爱叙事型写法的读者
需要在课堂或阅读分享中引用宇宙学史料的教师

Not a good fit for

希望研读严格数学推导与专业公式的宇宙学研究者
只想要简明天文图鉴或星图手册类工具书的读者
期待完整系统教科书式课程结构的读者

Reading tips

先读前言“为何要为宇宙作传？”，理解作者区分事实与猜测的写作原则，再进入正文。
按章节顺序阅读，每读完一章回看该章标题所提的问题，先自答再看下一章如何展开。
遇到弦理论、暴涨、暗物质等概念时先查术语表，不必在第一次阅读就彻底弄清。
读完全书后可用末章“一切将如何结束？”倒推回顾宇宙的演化链条，检验自己的理解。

About the publisher

Hunan Science & Technology Press China · Founded in 1979

Hunan Science & Technology Press has long focused on science popularization and medical publishing, balancing academic depth with accessibility for general readers. Among the 462 titles in the database are Richard Feynman's classic lectures on QED, the nature of physical laws, and relativity in the "Approaching Feynman" series, as well as general-audience works such as George Gamow's One, Two, Three... Infinity and Sean Carroll's The Big Picture. Its paleontology and dinosaur list includes Gregory S. Paul's Princeton field guides and authors such as Xing Lida. Hermann Weyl's Symmetry further reflects the press's attention to classic works bridging science and the humanities. Overall, the publisher shows a clear author profile and an emphasis on illustrated, well-rounded science publishing across both translated and original titles.

Acknowledgments
Preface — Why Write a Biography of the Universe?
Chapter 1 How Do We Know What We Think We Know?
Chapter 2 Is There a Theory of Everything?
Chapter 3 Where Did the Universe Come From?
Chapter 4 How Did the Early Universe Evolve?
Chapter 5 How Did the Structure of the Observable Universe Develop and Evolve?
Chapter 6 What Holds the Universe Together?
Chapter 7 Where Did the Chemical Elements Come From?
Chapter 8 Where Did the Solar System Come From?
Chapter 9 Where Did Life Originate?
Chapter 10 How Will It All End?
Glossary

FAQ

这本书是讲某位科学家的传记吗？

不是人物传记，传主是宇宙本身。作者按时间顺序讲述宇宙从大爆炸到可能的终结的完整历程，涉及结构演化、元素与生命起源等主题。

《宇宙传记》和“第一推动丛书”是什么关系？

它是“第一推动丛书·宇宙系列”中的一册，2011年首次出版，2018年由湖南科学技术出版社推出新版，版式与封面重新设计，译者均为徐彬、吴林。

读这本书需要多少物理基础？

作者面向普通读者写作，语言通俗，配有术语表；涉及弦理论、暴涨等内容时以解释概念为主，高中理科基础配合术语表即可跟上。

书中会谈到宇宙的未来结局吗？

会。末章“一切将如何结束？”讨论大收缩、大撕裂等可能情形，并说明这些判断依赖哪些观测证据与理论假设。

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About the author

John Gribbin Author · British · 1946

John Gribbin is a British science writer and astrophysicist, born in 1946 in Maidstone, Kent. He earned a PhD in astrophysics from the University of Cambridge, has worked as an editor at Nature and New Scientist, and is currently a visiting fellow in astronomy at the University of Sussex. His writing spans cosmology, quantum physics and scientist biographies, with representative works including In Search of Schrödinger's Cat, The Universe: A Biography and a biography of Feynman; the library holds 10 of his titles. He is known for making profound scientific ideas clear and readable. The author of more than a hundred books translated into over 30 languages, he received the Association of British Science Writers' lifetime achievement award in 2009.