Author: Simon Singh
Review: December 09, 2009
Edition: 2005 printing (0-00-716221-9)
Pages: 493---notes, glossary, and indexes extend it
Overall Rating: 4/5 [Good]
Synopsis: This is an accessible, historical look at the Big Bang model of the universe. It ambitiously covers a brief account of the development of the science of astronomy, the history of telescopes, and looks at competing theories of astronomy dating back to our earliest records.
Strengths: Very readable, lots of material covered, great for non-scientists (low mathematical content).
Weaknesses: Imbalanced, sometimes the writing feels too casual.
Further Review: The greatest achievement of this book is that it's very readable, so someone who doesn't already read a lot of pop science books will find everything they probably want to know about astronomy in this book. On the other hand, the length of the book is probably enough to put off this sort of reader...meanwhile, someone who is already interested enough in astronomy to tackle such a long work knows most of the content already. Some of the models in the book can be redundant, but they're uniformly clear/concise and many of them are interesting. The book is sometimes affected by non-related tangents (eg, the author sometimes discusses the lives of non-astronomers, which, while interesting, adds to the bulk of the book negatively since it doesn't contribute to the goal of the book). On the other hand, he does a great job of summarizing the biographies of important figures in order to outline their interest, motivation, and achievements and the material of the book is generally well-organized to present the subject; rather than telling the story of astronomy in a timeline, he shows how different astronomers have affected one another. The result is we learn about Newton the same time we learn about Einstein, so we see them in context of each other. This is true for much of the book: it's grouped by topic, and the flow is inspired by the interrelations between the people. Therefore, it becomes a very accessible account. As a matter of fact, this book can be read just like fiction; it doesn't require any study at all. One can sit down and read this anywhere.

My favorite fact from this book, which I didn't previously know, is that the Big Bang model was originally projected by a Belgian physicist and priest, Lemaître, which he called the "primeval atom."

More generally, I loved learning about the different scientists who contributed so much to our human knowledge. In particular, I love how quirky they all seem to have been; far from being serious and noble, they often come across as having been arrogant or self-important. There are plenty of moments in this book that give rise to laughter. For example, the following is taken from a caption under a photograph of Ernest Rutherford speaking with a colleague, and over his head is a sign that says, "Talk Softly Please":
The Talk Softly Please sign above their heads was aimed at Rutherford, who had a predilection for singing 'Onward Christian Soldiers' at the top of his voice, disturbing the laboratory's sensitive equipment.
Furthermore, Rutherford was known for bashing all other branches of the sciences outside of physics; he notoriously hated chemists. Ironically, he won the Nobel prize for chemistry.

Earlier in history, Tycho Brahe was known for his crazy parties. He even had a pet elk that died when, having become drunk, it tumbled down the stairs; Tycho also had a clairvoyant dwarf entertain at his parties. Tycho himself died after he refused to use the bathroom at a guest's house.

Because of the wide scope of this book, it becomes apparent what sorts of things contribute to scientific discovery. There is a personal element: a valuable scientist is one who is curious, tenacious, and persistent; but also there is the need for competition because theories become stronger and grow more quickly when given challenges.

Overall, this book doesn't provide any new science knowledge to someone with even a basic background of pop science, but it does introduce a lot of really interesting biography and history, and this is its primary aim.

Also, I'd like to note that I, personally, was put off by the first few pages and probably would have put it down almost immediately if my boyfriend hadn't been the one who lent it to me. ;) Luckily, the first few pages aren't typical of the entire book. ( )

I never expected a book on the origin of the universe to be so fluid in expressing the intent of the book ,i have previously read stephen hawkings "A brief History of time" which was filled with scientific gibberish ,but Big Bang had none of it ,maybe i might be exaggerating to some extent but Big bang is bang on target on what it really wants to depict . A good read for any one who is fascinated with idea of Universe. ( )

Simon Singh has written the most readable account of the "story" of the Big Bang. He writes of the characters, some of them rogues, the arguments, the lows and the highs, just as if it were a story. He writes with such clarity that anyone who has even the vaguest interest in wanting to know about the Big Bang but little in the way of a science education, should read this book as they will be gripped. Thank you Simon ( )

Fascinating and staggering. It makes difficult concepts (relatively) easy to understand and is well-written and just amazingly interesting. ( )

Everybody has heard of the Big Bang theory, but how many of us can actually claim to understand it? Why do cosmologists believe the Big Bang to be an accurate description of the origin of the universe? Who were the scientists who fought to bring acceptance to this unorthodox theory? And what, exactly, does the Bing Bang really mean?

In this unprecedented book, Simon Singh, bestselling author of Fermat's Last Theorem and The Code Book, explains the most famous and arguably the most significant idea in the history of science. With characteristic clarity and a narrative peppered with anecdotes, Simon Singh has written the astonishing story of the beginnings of the cosmos. It is a thrilling ride through the history of the universe itself.