Reviews (6)

mediocre
I adopted this text for my first try at teaching intro astronomy. It has lots of pretty pictures but I was not impressed with the content. This includes the text, the organization and the question/problem sets. If this text is better than most of its competitors, I am in real trouble. =-)

So, so...
The delivery time was very quick, that was good, and the price was great.The condition of the book was very used and they said it was like new.Other then that I guess it was O.K.

Superb textbook - beautifully illustrated, clearly written!
This is the Eighth Edition of a truly superb textbook for an introductory astronomy course, or for anyone (amateur astronomers?)who is looking for a great and beautifully illustrated general reference source on astronomy. I've been teaching intro astronomy for many years and keep my eye on all the textbooks. Aimed primarily at non-science majors, Seeds' book is a hum-dinger and really the best I see out there at this time. Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy    2. Astronomy - General    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Cosmology & the universe    6. Science / Astronomy   

Editorial Review

Stephen Hawking, one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists in history, wrote the modern classic Read more

Reviews (310)

A Masterpiece for the Patient
Stephen Hawking has crafted a masterpiece that requires only two qualities of the reader: patience and an open mind.For those willing to take the (often substantial) time required to digest the material and accept (or even challenge) it, a awe inspiring world awaits.This book is rightfully one of the best selling books of all time, and a must read for anyone who has any interest in the world around them.

I'm impressed
I must say my first reaction was to be surprised at how much better Hawking is at explaining modern physics than my college instructors were.Heisenberg's uncertainty principle was just an equation I learned.Hawking made it seem like common sense.
History of time
This book is a good history of time. My first real book on cosmology. Since then, there have many other discoveries in the field that make our understanding of things slightly difference. Still this is a really good first book at understanding cosmology. They're just a little too worried that readers won't understand it if they add something a little technical. It becomes a book good only for those who will never grasp anything more, or a first book for those who will graduate to more descriptive, technical books. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - Universe    2. Cosmology    3. History    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. PHYSICS    7. Science / General    8. Science: General Issues   

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Audio-visual aids    3. Heat    4. Mechanics    5. Physics    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Study and teaching (Higher)    9. United States    10. Astronomy, Space & Time    11. Science / Astronomy   

Reviews (5)

good condition and speedy delivery
item arrived in 2 days and was in perfect condition. completely satisfied. would recommend to others!

Way too expensive for a paperback
Attractive book but not a good value.All the information is available for free on the internet where it is periodically updated and can be referenced for free without wearing out.

Astronomy Text Book
Text book arrived in excellent condition (brand spankin' new) and in a timely manner (about 3 business days). I got a great deal too! No problems whatsoever. Thanks a bunch! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy    2. Astronomy (General)    3. Astronomy - General    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Astronomy, Space & Time    7. Science / Physics   

Reviews (5)

Too difficult for the average reader
This book is a bit too professional for anyone who is just starting an astrophysics course.......the provided questions really screw up ur brain.....but if ur sure u have a good solid pure math and advanced physics backgroundthen go ahead and buy it otherwise check out other books.....

An introduction to modern astrophysics
The problems are very challanging, with out an instructor and a good foundation in pure math its nearly impossible for a self learner to solve the end-chapter questions from this book. Im currenlty stuck in many of these problems. If any one happens to have a complete solutions manual, I would give $250.00 for it.
Very difficult to teach from
After surveying available undergraduate texts in astrophysics and consulting colleagues, I settled on this as the best available despite qualms about its size and cost.My students are finding its size and sheer length overwhelming; we are forced to leave out so much material that they are questioning whether it's worth it.The system of units used (cgs) is becoming (if it is not already) obsolete in most areas of astrophysics.In every chapter there are references to material yet to be covered, requiring one to flip back and forth, often over hundreds of pages.Finally, with a 1996 publication date, much of the material is becoming dated (I know, a new edition will be even more expensive).Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Astrophysics    3. Astrophysics & Space Science    4. Physics    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Astronomy, Space & Time    8. Science / Physics   

Subjects:  1. Astronomy    2. Astronomy - General    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Textbooks    6. Astronomy, Space & Time    7. Science / Astronomy   

Reviews (7)

Astronomy Today 5th edition
I have had a lifetime love of Astronomy but have lacked the mathmatical background for a thorough understanding.Most popular books on the subject rarely cover the field in the manner that I desire.Astronomy Today is a textbook for a beginning course in astronomy at the college level and does, in fact, cover a great deal of information without the need for mathmatical knowledge.The authors express their ideas and information in clear, concise language and clearly manifest an enthusiasm for their subject.I have enjoyed the book immensely.

A Paradox of Blind Astronomers!
This is an excellent textbook, but I deducted one star (from a possible five-star rating) because of the absurd comments made by the authors in the beginning of the book. In this fourth edition of Astronomy Today, a textbook published by Prentice Hall for college students, the authors open the very first chapter with the following statements:
A joy to read!
This book is really outstanding! It contains 757 pages of text (not counting the preface and appendix), about 480 (mostly quite smallish) photos, some 400 drawings/figures/illustrationsand almost 50 tables. The writing style is very clear, not at all dry or overtly technical. It is a joy to read this book.I know of no other book that clarifies all kind of astronomical subjects as thoroughly and understandably as this book (and I did read many books on astronomy.....). Highly recommended! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy    2. Astronomy (General)    3. Astronomy - General    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Astronomy, Space & Time    7. Science / Astronomy   

Reviews (5)

The best book on graduate cosmology.
I am currently teaching graduate cosmology. Modern cosmology is an extraordinarily beautiful piece of physics that has allowed cosmologists to learn from observations fundamental facts about our universe. Graduate students want to understand this beautiful subject themselves.Dodelson's book is the one that delivers that understanding. Of the several graduate cosmology texts out there, this one is unquestionably the best.
Great text
I haven't used another cosmology text for comparison, but have been very pleased with this one.The text is everywhere clear, reasonably concise, and the author uses good judgment in determining which calculations to present as examples and which to reserve for practice, all of which make this a very easy text to read.My only reservations are that necessary assumptions and approximations do not always seem fully justified, and the reader is often asked to wait until later in the text for certain approximations to be justified, which at times disrupts the logical flow of the text.The text is also somewhat incomplete in the sense that Dodelson does not always start from first principles.In my case I considered this an advantage as it allowed for quicker reading and less overhead before important results are presented.The discussion of inflation was less complete than I had hoped, but sufficient to prepare me for the literature.

the BEST book on cosmology for the advanced student
Without question, Dodelson's book beats out a herd of books at the present redshift for the de rigeur text to be bandied about by grad students. I haven't looked back at Padmanabhan's Structure formation in awhile, but it was written before the COBE discoveries, and so it's a bit "old fashioned" now; there are a number of other books worth looking at, of course.
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Subjects:  1. Astronomy - Universe    2. Cosmology    3. Physics    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Astrophysics    7. Cosmology & the universe    8. Science / Astronomy   

Reviews (55)

Awesome
If your into knowing more about the big picture this is the book/dvd to do it. Very scientific in nature but interesting to average folk.

The Special, and Intelligently Designed "Pale Blue Dot"
Co-authored by two Discovery Institute Fellows, astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez and philosopher Jay W. Richards, The Privileged Planet presents a new form of design argument which can be applied to the level of the cosmos. Design proponents have long held that the physical constants of nature and properties of our solar system appear finely tuned and specified to allow for advanced life.But Richards and Gonzalez take this argument to a new level by arguing that the same set of circumstances which permit advanced life are also optimized for a range of scientific discoveries.
Well written theories
This book examines the history of scientific discovery and scientific thought related to the cosmos, our place in it, and the origins of life, and argues that our presence on this planet is innately intertwined with our awareness of the cosmos at large.Specifically, the authors argue that the conditions that make a planet conducive to producing technologically advanced life forms such as ourselves are essentially identical to the conditions needed to explore the world and the space around it.These conditions include the type and age of star, the number, type and orbits of the other planets, the presence of a satellite (our Moon) of a specific size, composition, and orbit, a location within a specific area of the Milky Way Galaxy, being located within a galaxy of a specific type, age, and location in the universe, and being in a universe where the various physical constants (gravity, electron mass, electron charge, etc...) have just the right values.The book also examines the validity of various philosophies relating to man's and Earth's place in the heavens.This book is not a direct argument for the existence of God, or some grand creator.It is an argument for order, in that it shows that the geological and cosmological factors needed for technologically advanced life such as ourselves are not that common in our galaxy, and hence advanced life itself might not be that common.All in all a great book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cosmology    2. Discoveries in science    3. Earth    4. General    5. Philosophy & Social Aspects    6. Planets    7. Religion & Science    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Solar systems    11. Popular astronomy    12. Popular science    13. Science / General   

Reviews (10)

A beautiful book to help plan your next lunar adventure
-This book is a beautiful complement to a photographic atlas or description.I was surprised to find how this graphically drawn atlas seems easier to use than a photographic one, even if the accuracy cannot be quite as good -- photos do not always look like the view in the telescope, they are far harsher, and the shading often affects your perception enough to confuse some features (the author did include photos of some of the more prominent features).The book obviously shows considerable love for the science and patience, which are terrific qualities for any observer to take to the eyepiece.
Awesome guide to have on hand!
Being a Moon-lover, this book is a treasure to me. The text and charts are all first class, my only complaint being that any distances and sizes are given in metric not standard notation.

The standard for lunar atlases
If you are a serious lunar observer, this book belongs on your shelf.An absolute must since so many other refferences rely on it.The problem of red ink has been corrected in this edition.Get two copies: one for scope-side use, the other as a desk refference. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. General    3. Reference    4. Science   

Reviews (3)

Expensive, but worth it
This is a really expensive paperback, but it should have an honored place in your home, next to your dictionary, your atlas, your Roget's Thesaurus and your Holy Bible, Koran or any other book that is important to you.
A good college text for non-science majors
This book seems to have two goals. One is to teach the reader something about astrobiology. The other is to be a text for a science course for college undergraduates (in most cases, underclassmen majoring in something other than science).
A Very Delightful Book
This is the ONE Science Textbook I will keep forever and ever. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Exobiology    3. Life    4. Origin    5. Physics    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Science / Physics   

Reviews (20)

Universe Review
What an excellent book ! Full of up todate information (this is pre-Pluto's demotion), graphics and pictures.The book is divided up in to easy to read sections, not overly technical and covers everything from the history of astronomy, the solar system, deep space, NASA expeditions,a section on night sky charts and lots more.
The fundamental knowledge and more....
Universe gives you a fundamental knowledge on the subject of astronomy, this book gives you more than just a repedative walkthrough about the inner and the outer heavenly bodies. This book goes all the way, by making the vast astronomical sciences accesible for everyone intersested on the subject.
UNIVERSE
The binding is typical DK which is less substantial than other books in the price range, but the content is incredible.No need for any other book on the subject. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy (General)    2. Astronomy - General    3. Astronomy - Universe    4. Astrophysics & Space Science    5. Children's 9-12 - Science    6. Cosmology    7. Planets    8. Popular works    9. Reference    10. Science    11. Science/Mathematics    12. Science / Astrophysics & Space Science   

Reviews (39)

Turn Left at Orion - Beginners Astronomy
The book was just what I wanted, reasonably priced, and promptly delivered.So far, reading it has been very informative and I want to dig into it more soon.

Excellent
Make this the first book you buy for anyone with a telescope. It is user friendly, well written and illustrated, and will ignite a passion for chasing the beautiful objects scattered through the night sky. Also useful is the guide on interesting Southern Hemisphere objects, including those in the LMC and SMC.
Turn left at Orion and you'll be right with the stars
I purchased this book and the Backyard Astronomers book at the same time.I use them both.......a lot!!This book is great because it gives you sky views (drawings not pictures) that really give you an idea of what to expect when looking up at the sky with unaided eye or through a telescope.The description that accompanies the objects of interest are well written and thought provoking. As a newbie to backyard astronomy I couldn't be more satisfied by the information I've received from this book. As others have stated, this book is a great astronomy starter book, but will inevitably be a life time companion for all of your night sky viewing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Astronomy    3. Astronomy - General    4. Astronomy - Star Guides    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Astronomy--Amateurs' manuals    8. Cosmology & the universe    9. Popular astronomy    10. Science / Astronomy   

Editorial Review

As a boy, Brian Greene read Albert Camus' Read more

Reviews (166)

Amazed Every Time I Pick Up the Book
Greene's easy-to-comprehend summary of physics up to now (2005) is a great read for everyone who is interested in what goes on behind the scenes of our everyday world. It's also a must-read for people who liked to be in awe of the knowledge that modern physicists are uncovering and how much more there is to know. If you thought you had a pretty good understanding of how the world and universe works (outside of physics), this book will boggle your mind.
get out your calculator and triginomitry book..
I bought this book after watching the show on the discovery channel. I think the author did a great job of explaining something highly complex in the world of physics, how ever; the mathmatical fomulas in this book are out of my grasp, unless you have a solid college background in mathmatics the formulas will read more like gooble-de-gook..which is unfortunate becuase the concepts of the string theory are based on the formulas. If you are math savy this will be a great read. If you aren't than you may quickly become dissatisfied with the book . It refers to ther formulas through out the book.. good luck, best of reading. Mercy W.

Thorough treatment of physics for non-physicists
This is certainly the best book I've read on physics.It's highly readable and IMO far more comprehensive and comprehensible than A Briefer History of Time (which is in its own right a good book, but this was more enjoyable to read, and contained a lot more information and instruction).
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Subjects:  1. Astronomy - Universe    2. Cosmology    3. Cosmology (Astronomy)    4. Physics    5. Popular works    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Cosmology & the universe    9. Science / Physics   

Reviews (55)

Perspective from Pluto
As I write this review, scientists around the world are in one more tizzy about whether Pluto is a planet, and exactly what a planet is.
Let's take the first steps
This book really focuses on something I believe is of uttermost importance for human kind: our long-term survival as a species and the essential role of space exploration. Many ideas and facts presented in Pale Blue Dot have already been expressed elsewhere, not least in science-fiction, but here they are collected and presented to us in a formidable way, with the focus on the potentially new era awaiting us where we would finally quit our Earth cocoon and start expanding through the Universe. As a scientist, I believe that this is a realistic view even if it definitely won't happen in our lifetimes. Sagan gives very convicing arguments why it is necessary to take the first steps in this direction: now, without delay!

A great sequel to Cosmos
The title of this book refers to Earth- all that our planet is in the big scheme of things is a Pale Blue Dot, as photographed by the Voyager spacecraft, departing our solar system. It's very humbling. Sagan went before his time, and didn't even get to see the landing of Mars Pathfinder in 1997, but that mission was renamed "The Sagan Memorial Mars Station." Whereas Cosmos talked about the past and future of space travel, this book talks about the future. It's written 20 years after "Cosmos" so builds upon what that book says. It used many charts and interesting pictures and graphs. This is better than "Cosmos" in my opinion, and is my favorite book ever. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Exploration    2. Outer space    3. Popular works    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Space Exploration    6. Popular astronomy    7. Science / General   

Reviews (2)

Explorations
This book is very detailed and the CD-Rom has excellent pictures.The only downfall is that the mathmatical functions are not detailed enough for me.

up to date introduction
A very solid, and up to date discussion of modern astronomy. Well suited for undergraduate astronomy majors taking a first course. You get a coherent formulation of our best understanding of galaxy formation on a cosmological scale. And also how first and second generation stars appear and evolve. Then, within a stellar system, how planets can condense out of gas.
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Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Science    3. Science/Mathematics    4. Astrophysics    5. Science / Astronomy   

Reviews (4)

Too easy
This book is an excellent introductory to astronomy.However, it seems as if the authors are afraid of scaring away students with a few equations and math.They spend pages trying to describe an astrophysical situation when they could list an equation or a graph that would be more succinct and easier to comprehend.

The Best Introductory Astronomy Book I've Every Read
The best astronomy book I've ever read. Even more than that, this is the best science book I've ever read. The writing style combined with the excellent illustrations make even fairly complex subject simple and understandable. Even their descriptions of things like relativity are so simple that anyone can understand them.
Reviewed by an astronomy student
As an astronomy student at the University of Colorado, I have used "The Cosmic Perspective" as a text book for two of my classes (one on stars and galaxies, and one on the solar system).This book isperfect for both: the text is clear and full of insight; the illustrationsand photographs are abundant and extremely professional, and theycomplement the text superbly; the sections called "MathematicalInsight" give the reader a clear understanding of the scienceinvolved, and the sections called "Common Misconceptions" are asfun to read as they are informative.Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Science    3. Science/Mathematics    4. Astronomy, Space & Time    5. Science / Astronomy   

Reviews (11)

Descriptive Astronomy for the Astronomy Student
Most introductory astronomy texts take the descriptive approach and subject the student to very little mathematics.Such tomes assume that the student is taking the course to fulfill a core science requirement or to satiate non-technical interest.This text is a rare exception to this rule.
Quality of the delivered product.
While the reason for buying the book was met (required text book for university study) the condition of the delivered item was very substandard. When the book arrived it was bent and creased and the front cover had been "pushed" in such a way that it was starting to come away from the spine. The book was not secure in its packaging and was able to slide around inside the box scuffing both front and back covers. I would not be happy if this happened to a $20 book let alone a book that cost me AUS $135.
Fabulous In-Depth Intro to Astronomy
I'm an amateur astronomy nut, and have read several dozen books on astronomy, cosmology, etc.This is probably the most clear, in-depth, understandable treatment of astronomical issues that I have ever read.Be it stellar evolution, stellar death, theory of relativity, black holes, galactic evolution -- you name it -- this book presents the research clearly, and explains tough to explain issues in terms I can understand.Bravo!My only complaint is that it's a bit heavy on Solar System research (first half of the book); I found the last half more to my interest. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Science    3. Science/Mathematics    4. Popular astronomy    5. Science / Astronomy   

Reviews (10)

Sky & Telescope's Pocket Atlas is now my FIRST reference
Having had it for two star parties now, it's become my favorite reference.
S&K and Sinnott Trump All Other's With New User Friendly Astral Guide!
S&K's new Pocket Sky Atlas is the triumphal culmination of years of research and thoughtful formatting work. Quite simply, it represents the easiest to use "at the scope" guide yet available. I highly recommend this work for the neophyte star gazer, as well as the most seasoned amateur astronomer.

Wouldn't want to go out with out it
There are two small atlases I consider to be absolutely indispensable.Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas is one of them.The charts in this atlas were well chosen.Each covers just the right amount of sky to give both a good perspective of the area you are looking at, and enough detail for star hopping with binoculars or finder scope, (stars are shown down to magnitude 7.6).Stick figures highlight the constellations to provide an easy and intuitive reference for what part of the sky the chart covers.An all sky view key of the charts is provided at the back of the book so that charts are easily located.The charts are well organized and very easy to navigate.
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Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Astronomy - Star Guides    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Star Observation   

Reviews (7)

What color is that?
If you're expecting to see color images in what is considered to be the "bible" of astrophotography, you'll be disappointed.Don't even look for them in the 40+ page chapter on (get this) Color Imaging.Not sure what the reasoning is behind that choice, but Mr. Wodaski could have served the readers better by provided some color images so we could better understand the color processing techniques described.

Great for Beginners
If your interested in getting Astronomy CCD imaging, this is the book.Explains all the important concepts very straightforwardly. Also helps you understand your own scopes strengths and weaknesses.

The Bible of Astrophotography with CCD cameras
This book does a wonderful job in taking the reader from the basics to advanced concepts of astrophotography with CCD cameras. It has an excellent section that explains how to choose a Telescope, the Mount, and the Camera. I wish I had read this section before I purchased my first Telescope and CCD camera. For example, one usually ignores the importance of having a solid Mount for CCD work. As it results, it is the single most important element to consider in this field. Even more important that the optics themselves. The techniques presented in this book have been very useful. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Science    3. Science/Mathematics