Product Description
A half century ago, a shocking Washington Post headline claimed that the world began in five cataclysmic minutes rather than having existed for all time; a skeptical scientist dubbed the maverick theory the Big Bang. In this amazingly comprehensible history of the universe, Simon Singh decodes the mystery behind the Big Bang theory, lading us through the development of one of the most extraordinary, important, and awe-inspiring theories in science.

Amazon.com Review
A baffling array of science books claim to reveal how the mysteries of the universe have been discovered, but Simon Singh's Big Bang actually delivers on that promise. General readers will find it to be among the very best books dealing with cosmology, because Singh follows the same plan he used in his brilliant Code Book: he puts people--not equations--first in the story. By linking the progression of the Big Bang theory with the scientists who built it up bit by bit, Singh also uncovers an important truth about how such ideas grow. Death is an essential element in the progress of science, since it takes care of conservative scientists of a previous generation reluctant to let go of an old, fallacious theory and embrace a new and accurate one. As harsh as this statement seems, even Einstein defended an outmoded idea about the universe when an unknown interloper published equations challenging the great man. Einstein didn't have to die for cosmology to move forward (he reluctantly apologized for being wrong), but stories like this one show how difficult it can sometimes be for new theories to take root. Fred Hoyle, who coined the term "big bang" as a way to ridicule the idea of a universe expanding from some tiny origin point, strongly believed that the cosmos was in a steady state. But Singh shows how Hoyle's research, meant to prove the contrary, added evidence to the expansion model. Big Bang is also a history of astronomical observation, describing the development of new telescopes that were crucial to the development of cosmology. Handwritten summary notes at the end of each long chapter add a charming, classroom feel to this revealing and very readable book. --Therese Littleton

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 76 reviews)

Great book by K. D. Joergensen (Waxhaw, NC)

5 Stars
September 14, 2009
This is a very well written book which takes you from the early discovery of the solar system through modern arguments for/against the big bang. It contain enough details to keep it interesting. A nice book.

The cover tends to bend to easily... by Bobby Bambino (Lebanon, NH United States)

5 Stars
July 01, 2009
Other than that, this book is nearly flawless! It is an historical overview of all the scientific endeavors that lead to the discovery and ultimately acceptance of the big bang model of the origin of the universe, but it reads like a drama. There are many interesting characters who greatly contributed in various ways, and their scientific achievements as well as personal stories makes this book a page turner. The author begins with some of humanities very earliest knowledge of the cosmos. He even explains in simple terms how once we were able to calculate the size of the earth, we were able to approximate the sizes of both the sun and moon as well as their distances, all using elementary methods. The story continues as we learn about the discoveries of Kepler, Galileo, Newton, and other famous names in the "classical" understanding of the universe. One thing that was very interesting was how the author made the case that at the time, humanity had very good reasons for holding to geocentrism, including geocentrism's ability to predict things as well as the inability to detect the parallax shifts. This was due to the fact that the stars were WAY further from us then we could have possibly imagined. The justification for holding to geocentrism in then contrasted with the fact that as our telescopes improved, many scientists refused to accept the new theory and wanted to cling to the old. This is also seen when the author discusses Einstein's theory of relativity. His theory implied an overthrow of some of Newton's theories, which seemed to be tried and true tested. But that was because of the scale that we were working with. It was with Einstein's theory of relativity that some of the scientific community began to see that the universe may have begun to exist, and so the big bang model begins to form. From here, we meet many fascinating characters, including Gamow and Hubble. The author goes on to explain many of the phenomena that the big bang model could not explain at the time, and then shows when it was explained, by whom, and how. It was a very fascinating and easy read. One does not need to know much science (if any) to appreciate this book and the drama that is the story of the big bang.

great science book for non-scientists by game on

5 Stars
June 08, 2009
The Big Bang provides an incredible, in-depth, detailed overview of the history of cosmology. From the founding fathers of science to 20th century geniuses, Simon Singh provides incredible detail into each of their lives and contributions. I felt that the writing style was very smooth and easy to read. Even if I weren't at all interested in science, reading this book would have been very, very easy and fun. Overall, it's a great book, even if you've never felt naturally inclined towards science.

Superb account of the big bang by Dr. Nicholas P. G. Davies (Halifax, UK)

5 Stars
February 02, 2009
An excellent book. Reads like a novel. Great for someone like me who knows a little physics but hasn't updated it since discussing brewons and beerins with a physicist friend twenty years ago at university. Singh tells the story well and gets the reader to understand why it matters. He does it with good humour, and a generous appreciation of human ambition, ingenuity, persistence and vanity, and how all four characteristics are often combined in one person at one time.

Exceptional book! by Cornelia L. (Miramar, FL USA)

5 Stars
November 02, 2008
I read so many books to put together the same facts I just found in one book: Big Bang by Simon Singh. I savored every single word. The way the book is written makes it easy to grasp the concepts, which were given an equal amount of thought and consideration. The summaries at the end of each chapter, as well as the tables of comparison, constitute an efficient way of serving the objectivity with which these topics are discussed throughout the book. Loved it, loved it! I highly recommend it to everyone who loves science in general, this including old and new theories alike.

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