In Search of the Big Bang

by John Gribbin

Where do we come from? How did the universe of stars, planets and people come into existence? Now revised and expanded, this second edition takes into account developments in cosmology and quantum physics since its first publication in 1986, and traces the historical path which has led physicists to an understanding of the big bang, the fireball in which our universe was born.

Genres: Science, Physics, Nonfiction, History, Astronomy, Science Nature

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

John R. Gribbin is a British science writer, an astrophysicist, and a visiting fellow in astronomy at the University of Sussex. His writings include quantum physics, human evolution, climate change, global warming, the origins of the universe, and biographies of famous scientists. He also writes science fiction.

Reviews

[Sheng Peng · Rating 3 out of 5]

An OK read.

There is, IIRC, two concepts/acronyms that the author explained twice without realizing the faux pas, which explained the bad flow and lack of continuity between the chapters. Apparently, the author and the editor didn't read through the whole book once themselves.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally written in 1986 and substantially updated in 1998, Gribben's telling of the tale is once again an excellent read. Trained as a physicist, he became a full-time science writer within a few years of receiving his PhD. Good for us he did. He takes difficult material and makes it understandable without condescension. There have been advances in astrophysics and cosmology since 1998, but this book can give you the background you need to understand the latest developments. If you love science, give Gribben a shot - he's very good at what he does.

[Jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

yep. another book on theoretical physics involving cosmology; i guess i never change.

for those interested in the BIG BANG theory this is an in-depth and more than slightly technical dissertation. i greatly enjoyed the biographical tidbits about each of the successive scientists that aided in the alterations of perception (both publically and in the egghead community) of physics. the models of "the universe" under which we humans have gone about our daily lives has drastically changed in the last thousand years. humans as a whole have remarkably malleable minds in the long term, while seeming to settle into a pattern of thought that "is how it's always been" in the short term timeframe of an individual's lifespan. some sort of specie-wide memory disorder or something. if you're already an astronomy fan, a theoretical physics buff, or interested in particle and/or quantum physics this book is for you. if you find those things a bit daunting, you should pass on this offering.

[Sambasivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is always a pleasure to read when the author is on top of the subject he is talking about. And the pleasure gets accentuated when the author strives to lucidly and simply unravel the topic in this case the mystery of the Universe. The quest for truth on the origin of the Universe and how it works is the ultimate quest of mankind and makes us understand how we came to be. Must read for all.

[Marko Beljac · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Good - not a bad rendition of the hot big bang model up to the late '80s early '90s i.e. before the discovery of the universe's accelerating expansion. Enjoyed reading it the first time, and enjoyed it this time too.
The Bad - better to have finished discussion of the standard model with an extended discussion of Dicke's three problems of the hot big bang model then a smaller section on particle theory.
The Ugly - the author's pedestrian asides on metaphysics, not to mention the footnotes which were just fuckin' annoying.

[JD Shaffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to give up on this one. The writing was just too poor and confusing. I pressed through well over half the book, but it's just too much work to figure out what in the world (universe?) the author is trying to say. I don't know how I liked this back in 1992!?!

I'm going to move on to a different book on the same topic, hopefully with better writing.

[Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it. It was a interesting book. Now I get to learn more!

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic book. Gribbin is excellent in everything I've read from him. What I appreciate of Gribbin is that he gives you the details, he explains the theories and doesn't dumb it down too much (but enough). If you want to understand the development and history of the theory of the big bang, read this book! You'll learn a lot more about cosmology and physics in the process.

[Phil Lawless · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though somewhat dated, it gives a pretty clear discussion of the interaction between particle physics ad cosmology. It would be good to see an update now that the Higgs boson has been confrimed.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed, but a completely updated edition would be great.