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Shortest History
The Shortest History of Our Universe: The Unlikely Journey from the Big Bang to Us
A complete history of the universe, spanning 13.8 billion years in an ultra-accessible, uncommonly illuminating, exhilarating chronicle of key events
“Baker introduces us not only to the history of our species and our planet, but the history of our vast universe.”—from the foreword by John Green, author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and The Fault in Our Stars
In this thrilling history, David Baker captures the longest-possible time span—from the Big Bang to the present day—in an astonishingly concise retelling. His impressive timeline includes the “rise of complexity” in the cosmos and the creation of the first atoms; the origin of all galaxies, stars, and our solar system; and the evolution of life on Earth, from tiny single-celled organisms to human beings.
Weaving together insights across the sciences—including chemistry, physics, biology, archaeology, and anthropology—Baker answers the fundamental questions: How did time begin? Why does matter exist? What made life on Earth the way it is? He also argues that never before has life on Earth been forced to adjust to a changing climate so rapidly, nor has one species ever been responsible for such sudden change. Baker’s grand view offers the clearest picture of what may come next—and the role we can still play in our planet’s fate.
“Baker introduces us not only to the history of our species and our planet, but the history of our vast universe.”—from the foreword by John Green, author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and The Fault in Our Stars
In this thrilling history, David Baker captures the longest-possible time span—from the Big Bang to the present day—in an astonishingly concise retelling. His impressive timeline includes the “rise of complexity” in the cosmos and the creation of the first atoms; the origin of all galaxies, stars, and our solar system; and the evolution of life on Earth, from tiny single-celled organisms to human beings.
Weaving together insights across the sciences—including chemistry, physics, biology, archaeology, and anthropology—Baker answers the fundamental questions: How did time begin? Why does matter exist? What made life on Earth the way it is? He also argues that never before has life on Earth been forced to adjust to a changing climate so rapidly, nor has one species ever been responsible for such sudden change. Baker’s grand view offers the clearest picture of what may come next—and the role we can still play in our planet’s fate.
256 pages, Paperback
Published May 2, 2023
62 people are currently reading
544 people want to read
About the author
David Baker
501 books54 followersDavid Baker came to Australia in 2010 to study his PhD in History of Science and Cliodynamics. He was previously a lecturer at Macquarie University and the University of Amsterdam, and is visiting Lecturer at the Sorbonne University in Paris. He is now a history, science, and true crime writer for the Simon Whistler network.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
June 8, 2023
The Shortest History of Our Universe by David Baker takes the reader from the big bang to the present day and even a bit of speculation about the future. Baker manages to pack a huge amount of information in a very short space yet manages to make it easily understood by the scientically challenged like me. There is even a nice touch of humour throughout. A very informative, interesting, and surprisingly entertaining read and I enjoyed immensely.
I received an arc of this book from Netgalley and The Experiment in exchange for an honest review
I received an arc of this book from Netgalley and The Experiment in exchange for an honest review
October 23, 2025
Title feels like a bit of a misnomer; while the beginning and end focus on cosmology from the Big Bang to the Heat Death of the Universe (what I thought the entirety of this book would be about), the middle 50% or so focuses on earth specifically. Maybe, "The Shortest History of Our Universe: Earth Edition!" didn't test as well with marketing groups.
The math and the dimensions of the early universe are always crazy to wrap my head around. What do you mean the universe was the size of a grapefruit 10^-35 seconds after the Big Bang, and then grew to 10 light years wide within the first 10 seconds?! I love this stuff. The explanations of how stars and galaxies form are great as well.
We also get a good walk-through of the formation of our solar system and all the epochs that earth specifically went through to get to its current configuration, but I couldn't help but feel that the entirety of human history was given too much attention (a sentence I never thought I'd type). I get not wanting to leave stuff out, but I wasn't expecting this much of an anthropological and historical detour in the middle of what I thought was going to be a physics and astronomy book. Also an odd fixation on repeatedly mentioning how indigenous people in the Americas and Australia were wiped out by Afro-Eurasian diseases during waves of colonization, as if that was a defining moment of the entirety of the human existence.
But it brought me back in again with speculating on what the literal end of the universe might look like. Does it eventually burn itself out and everything goes dark and quiet? Will expansion eventually slow, reverse, and result in a Big Crunch? Will some hyper-advanced society figure out how to violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics to keep the lights on? Who knows, but it's fun to think about.
The math and the dimensions of the early universe are always crazy to wrap my head around. What do you mean the universe was the size of a grapefruit 10^-35 seconds after the Big Bang, and then grew to 10 light years wide within the first 10 seconds?! I love this stuff. The explanations of how stars and galaxies form are great as well.
We also get a good walk-through of the formation of our solar system and all the epochs that earth specifically went through to get to its current configuration, but I couldn't help but feel that the entirety of human history was given too much attention (a sentence I never thought I'd type). I get not wanting to leave stuff out, but I wasn't expecting this much of an anthropological and historical detour in the middle of what I thought was going to be a physics and astronomy book. Also an odd fixation on repeatedly mentioning how indigenous people in the Americas and Australia were wiped out by Afro-Eurasian diseases during waves of colonization, as if that was a defining moment of the entirety of the human existence.
But it brought me back in again with speculating on what the literal end of the universe might look like. Does it eventually burn itself out and everything goes dark and quiet? Will expansion eventually slow, reverse, and result in a Big Crunch? Will some hyper-advanced society figure out how to violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics to keep the lights on? Who knows, but it's fun to think about.
June 15, 2025
13.8 billion years of history in 250 pages. Themes I want to remember
- Humanity has existed in just a flicker of time compared with the existence of our universe. Given equal time to book pages as years experienced, humans don't arrive in the last chapter, page, or word. We would be some microscopic part of the ending period. Indeed we are a "paint chip on top of the Eiffel Tower"
-There is strong feedback loop involving collective wisdom. Mankind's ability to remember through written word or verbally increased its prosperity. The next generation does not have to start all over. This prospertity increased population which increased innovation. A wonderful cycle. Yet All cycles reach a maximum.
- Population increase due to prosperity is often best for the top tier, as they can afford a decreasing supply of natural resources. This cycle reaches a peak and population falls (plague, war...) in which case the surplus natural resources often bring good things to lower tier.
- The smoking gun of evidence that our universe has existed for billions of years, certainly challenges the religious notion of 7 days and "poof" everything appeared. Indeed evolution both material and biological are perhaps the biggest forces in nature. What is more interesting and scalable, the universe we experience today is the grand results of a recipe started 13.8 billion years ago, or all this just happened magically. Religion has stripped the elegance from god.
- The chance that we exist at all is miniscule. Rewind the tape of history and play it all again, we don't happen. It's random chance after random chance.
- We live in the golden age of astronomy. As the universe expands the distance between galaxies increases , light will not have time to reach us, therefore we will believe we are it. The universe will last trillion of more years. Our universe is just beginning its journey.
- Independent if you believe in providence or good luck, life has been and will continue to be amazing.
- Humanity has existed in just a flicker of time compared with the existence of our universe. Given equal time to book pages as years experienced, humans don't arrive in the last chapter, page, or word. We would be some microscopic part of the ending period. Indeed we are a "paint chip on top of the Eiffel Tower"
-There is strong feedback loop involving collective wisdom. Mankind's ability to remember through written word or verbally increased its prosperity. The next generation does not have to start all over. This prospertity increased population which increased innovation. A wonderful cycle. Yet All cycles reach a maximum.
- Population increase due to prosperity is often best for the top tier, as they can afford a decreasing supply of natural resources. This cycle reaches a peak and population falls (plague, war...) in which case the surplus natural resources often bring good things to lower tier.
- The smoking gun of evidence that our universe has existed for billions of years, certainly challenges the religious notion of 7 days and "poof" everything appeared. Indeed evolution both material and biological are perhaps the biggest forces in nature. What is more interesting and scalable, the universe we experience today is the grand results of a recipe started 13.8 billion years ago, or all this just happened magically. Religion has stripped the elegance from god.
- The chance that we exist at all is miniscule. Rewind the tape of history and play it all again, we don't happen. It's random chance after random chance.
- We live in the golden age of astronomy. As the universe expands the distance between galaxies increases , light will not have time to reach us, therefore we will believe we are it. The universe will last trillion of more years. Our universe is just beginning its journey.
- Independent if you believe in providence or good luck, life has been and will continue to be amazing.
November 10, 2024
This book is on my night stand because it is a wonderfully paced book detailing our history. I have a “finished” date but I always tend to go back and read the beginning and end! 4 stars because it has illustrations of weird bugs (not a fan). Instead of giving me an existential crisis, this book gives me hope.
Great read for anyone interested but might not have time to dedicate their lives to the beginning/middle/end of the universe!
Great read for anyone interested but might not have time to dedicate their lives to the beginning/middle/end of the universe!
September 11, 2024
A fairly short condensation of 13.8 billion years of history and how the future may enfold. Really informative and fun! Would definitely give you existential crisis now and then!!
December 10, 2023
Ever since I can remember, the universe has been a source of endless fascination for me. The sheer enormity and complexity of it all have often left me in awe, prompting a desire to understand the hows and whys. "The Shortest History of the Universe" by David Baker proved to be the perfect guide on this cosmic journey.
Divided into four insightful sections — the universe, Earth and organisms, humans and cultures, and the future — the book artfully unravels the grand tapestry of existence. What struck me most was the defining theme of a constant rise in complexity from the very inception of the universe. Baker adeptly navigates the narrative, guiding us from the simplicity of elemental beginnings to the intricate dance of multicellular lifeforms, and finally to the emergence of diverse human cultures. The book leaves us pondering: where does this relentless ascent in complexity lead, and when might it reach its zenith?
What makes this book truly exceptional is its ability to distill vast and intricate concepts into a concise and accessible format. The rise in complexity, a recurrent theme that weaves through the pages, is both enlightening and thought-provoking. It's a reminder that, as we grapple with the vastness of the universe, we're part of a continuum of increasing intricacy.
The simplicity with which the book accomplishes its mission is commendable. From the genesis of the universe to the evolution of life, the emergence of humanity, and the speculative future of our planet and beyond — all are presented in a manner that's not just informative but also engaging. The concise yet comprehensive narrative struck the perfect balance, satisfying my curiosity without overwhelming me with unnecessary details.
In essence, "The Shortest History of the Universe" proved to be exactly what I was looking for. It provided a satisfying intellectual journey through the cosmos, delivering on its promise of brevity without sacrificing depth. For anyone intrigued by the wonders of the universe but seeking a digestible overview, this book is an absolute gem.
Divided into four insightful sections — the universe, Earth and organisms, humans and cultures, and the future — the book artfully unravels the grand tapestry of existence. What struck me most was the defining theme of a constant rise in complexity from the very inception of the universe. Baker adeptly navigates the narrative, guiding us from the simplicity of elemental beginnings to the intricate dance of multicellular lifeforms, and finally to the emergence of diverse human cultures. The book leaves us pondering: where does this relentless ascent in complexity lead, and when might it reach its zenith?
What makes this book truly exceptional is its ability to distill vast and intricate concepts into a concise and accessible format. The rise in complexity, a recurrent theme that weaves through the pages, is both enlightening and thought-provoking. It's a reminder that, as we grapple with the vastness of the universe, we're part of a continuum of increasing intricacy.
The simplicity with which the book accomplishes its mission is commendable. From the genesis of the universe to the evolution of life, the emergence of humanity, and the speculative future of our planet and beyond — all are presented in a manner that's not just informative but also engaging. The concise yet comprehensive narrative struck the perfect balance, satisfying my curiosity without overwhelming me with unnecessary details.
In essence, "The Shortest History of the Universe" proved to be exactly what I was looking for. It provided a satisfying intellectual journey through the cosmos, delivering on its promise of brevity without sacrificing depth. For anyone intrigued by the wonders of the universe but seeking a digestible overview, this book is an absolute gem.
August 25, 2023
The Shortest History of Universe by David Baker is the newest addition to the shortest history series from Panmacmillan. Just as the name suggests, this book is a summarized version of the origin of universe, formation of stars and galaxies, evolution and extinction of various life forms on earth and the future of universe.
It's a fascinating read to say the least. Despite being fact-heavy, David Baker did an impressive job making it accessible to everyone. The writing is crisp and quite easy to follow. I don't think one needs to have a background in science or history to understand the trajectory of the book. Numerous charts and diagrams with plausible explanations are provided to keep the readers glued to the page. Baker delivered it all in his uniquely humorous narrative, mixing up science, history and anthropology all the way to the end.
The Shortest History of Universe takes one from almost 13.8 billion years ago, i.e. from the beginning of our observable universe to the end of it, some billions of years from now. Those are some big numbers, so big that human mind cannot fully comprehend it, even though we understand the concept on a basic level. In this regard, this particular book is very ambitious. It's not an easy feat to accomplish something like this.
Which brings us to its weakest point. Honestly, the pace of this book gave me whiplash. It covered a lot in less than 250 pages and to do it in a conceivable way and, of course, to keep it short, I believe Baker had to cut out a lot of in depth explanations. The four main sections of this book, inanimate phase, animate phase, cultural phase and near and deep future, could easily have their own seperate books and one would still argue that it's not enough. It's a pity that so much of it is lost to keep the page count in check.
The Shortest History of Universe is a quick read for science and history enthusiasts. Like I said before, you don't need to have in depth knowledge in any subject to read this, just a curious mind. I loved author's writing style. Even though the lack of details disappointed me a little, I enjoyed it quite a lot. Highly recommended to all the non fiction lovers out there!
It's a fascinating read to say the least. Despite being fact-heavy, David Baker did an impressive job making it accessible to everyone. The writing is crisp and quite easy to follow. I don't think one needs to have a background in science or history to understand the trajectory of the book. Numerous charts and diagrams with plausible explanations are provided to keep the readers glued to the page. Baker delivered it all in his uniquely humorous narrative, mixing up science, history and anthropology all the way to the end.
The Shortest History of Universe takes one from almost 13.8 billion years ago, i.e. from the beginning of our observable universe to the end of it, some billions of years from now. Those are some big numbers, so big that human mind cannot fully comprehend it, even though we understand the concept on a basic level. In this regard, this particular book is very ambitious. It's not an easy feat to accomplish something like this.
Which brings us to its weakest point. Honestly, the pace of this book gave me whiplash. It covered a lot in less than 250 pages and to do it in a conceivable way and, of course, to keep it short, I believe Baker had to cut out a lot of in depth explanations. The four main sections of this book, inanimate phase, animate phase, cultural phase and near and deep future, could easily have their own seperate books and one would still argue that it's not enough. It's a pity that so much of it is lost to keep the page count in check.
The Shortest History of Universe is a quick read for science and history enthusiasts. Like I said before, you don't need to have in depth knowledge in any subject to read this, just a curious mind. I loved author's writing style. Even though the lack of details disappointed me a little, I enjoyed it quite a lot. Highly recommended to all the non fiction lovers out there!
November 6, 2023
Just from the title of the book, it seems to cover our universe from an astrophysics perspective ... which turns out to be just Part 1 (Inanimate Phase) covering the Big Bang, stars, galaxies and origin of Earth.
Part 2 (Animate Phase) zooms from the macro universe into Earth's life evolution in the period 3.8 billion - 1.5 million years ago when the human species Homo erectus started to possess collective learning capability.
Part 3 (Cultural Phase) briefly mentioned human evolution from Homo erectus to Homo antecessor to Homo heidelbergensis to Neanderthals and to Homo sapiens by 315,000 years ago, then the focus is on how Homo sapiens' culture transformed from 315,000 years ago to present, i.e. foragers stage, agriculture revolution, Agrarian era, world unification and the current Anthropocene epoch.
Part 4 (Unknown Phase) is the section of the book where the author hypothesized how the projected or probable future (up to 10 to the power 40 years from now) the universe will "naturally" end. The projected future is Big Freeze which will happen in five periods with astrophysics condition by end of each period ... from now in 1 billion years (death of the biosphere); 3 to 7 billion years (death of the Earth and the Sun); 200 billion years (end of seeing light from galaxies); 100 trillion years (end of stars); and 10 to the power 40 years from now (heat death of matter). The author also hypothesized two probable future the universe will end ... Big Rip and Big Crunch, if either the universe accelerating faster in expansion or the universe slows down and reverses itself. The author finally tried the inclusion of "complexity" growth and advancement of human or civilisation of other galaxies into hypothesis where super civilizations will appear ending up as Big Save for the universe by means of Escape (to another universe if Multiverse exists); or Manipulate (certain fundamental properties like thermodynamics to undo the natural end); or Create (by manipulate space-time to re-create the Big Bang).
Part 2 (Animate Phase) zooms from the macro universe into Earth's life evolution in the period 3.8 billion - 1.5 million years ago when the human species Homo erectus started to possess collective learning capability.
Part 3 (Cultural Phase) briefly mentioned human evolution from Homo erectus to Homo antecessor to Homo heidelbergensis to Neanderthals and to Homo sapiens by 315,000 years ago, then the focus is on how Homo sapiens' culture transformed from 315,000 years ago to present, i.e. foragers stage, agriculture revolution, Agrarian era, world unification and the current Anthropocene epoch.
Part 4 (Unknown Phase) is the section of the book where the author hypothesized how the projected or probable future (up to 10 to the power 40 years from now) the universe will "naturally" end. The projected future is Big Freeze which will happen in five periods with astrophysics condition by end of each period ... from now in 1 billion years (death of the biosphere); 3 to 7 billion years (death of the Earth and the Sun); 200 billion years (end of seeing light from galaxies); 100 trillion years (end of stars); and 10 to the power 40 years from now (heat death of matter). The author also hypothesized two probable future the universe will end ... Big Rip and Big Crunch, if either the universe accelerating faster in expansion or the universe slows down and reverses itself. The author finally tried the inclusion of "complexity" growth and advancement of human or civilisation of other galaxies into hypothesis where super civilizations will appear ending up as Big Save for the universe by means of Escape (to another universe if Multiverse exists); or Manipulate (certain fundamental properties like thermodynamics to undo the natural end); or Create (by manipulate space-time to re-create the Big Bang).
June 10, 2025
David Baker has written a remarkably concise and readable history of the entire universe, so concise in fact that I realize that this volume by sheer page mass and book size is actually one of the shortest in the Shortest History series. This is very ironic considering the topic of this book spans the history of the entire universe as opposed to a nation or a social science topic.
Still, it was a fun journey to review the broad strokes of universal history. Baker takes the reader from the big bang, through the formation of galaxies and stars, the formation of the Earth, the creation of life, the evolution of life from simple prokaryotes to advanced animals, and the evolution of humans and human civilization. He even dives into the far future examining potential end points of the universe and advanced civilization.
All throughout, the main thesis of the book is the increasing complexity and flow of energy. Baker tracks this thesis at each stage of the universe's existence, and in particular for life's existence, and ends on a fascinating exploration of where this increase in complexity and energy usage may take us.
A very high recommend to literally everyone. If you want a fun journey back through some science topics you haven't thought about ever since grade school, or if you want a long view take on life, the universe, and everything that can take you away from the exhausting social politics of today, this book is for you!
Still, it was a fun journey to review the broad strokes of universal history. Baker takes the reader from the big bang, through the formation of galaxies and stars, the formation of the Earth, the creation of life, the evolution of life from simple prokaryotes to advanced animals, and the evolution of humans and human civilization. He even dives into the far future examining potential end points of the universe and advanced civilization.
All throughout, the main thesis of the book is the increasing complexity and flow of energy. Baker tracks this thesis at each stage of the universe's existence, and in particular for life's existence, and ends on a fascinating exploration of where this increase in complexity and energy usage may take us.
A very high recommend to literally everyone. If you want a fun journey back through some science topics you haven't thought about ever since grade school, or if you want a long view take on life, the universe, and everything that can take you away from the exhausting social politics of today, this book is for you!
January 30, 2024
Not bad - a "big history" that speeds us from the Big Bang until now. Docked a star (1) because some of the early universe stuff didn't seem quite accurate (I've been reading a lot in that area); (2) I would have liked some more info on reverberations from earlier times - non-obvious insights we can glean into the human condition from the history (there was some of this but not as much as I would've liked); (3) because it was really a bit too speedy through human history. Rise of nation-states not covered, not much about wars etc. I get that if the book did include all these, it would probably have to be the Shorter History, but still I would've liked to see it
The main themes are about complexity/energy capture and how they increase through time, and the accelerating pace of information accumulation. The last chapter is about projecting into the future. Baker is actually quite sanguine about it - if we manage to survive the next century or so (a big if). He thinks that on current trajectories, humans would obtain what to our current eyes would be god-like powers. It was nice to see someone who thinks about the big picture be so optimistic. (I'm personally not quite so optimistic but still, nice to see.)
The main themes are about complexity/energy capture and how they increase through time, and the accelerating pace of information accumulation. The last chapter is about projecting into the future. Baker is actually quite sanguine about it - if we manage to survive the next century or so (a big if). He thinks that on current trajectories, humans would obtain what to our current eyes would be god-like powers. It was nice to see someone who thinks about the big picture be so optimistic. (I'm personally not quite so optimistic but still, nice to see.)
January 25, 2023
I loved this book. I liked the writing style with its clarity and conversational tone. Considering the time span (billions of years) and magnitude of the subject matter (the universe), there is an astonishing depth of information in what is actually a relatively concise book. Obviously, David Baker couldn’t go into a lot of details, but I feel like he covered all the major ones. The book is fast-paced and impossible to put down, yet it doesn’t feel rushed. Surprisingly, there were several laugh-out-loud moments. This book is a great addition to the Shortest History series. The only thing that didn’t really appeal to me was the discussion of the very distant future. Nonetheless, this is a great introductory book for anyone interested in big history. Thank you to Netgalley and The Experiment for the advance reader copy.
July 7, 2025
A very readable pop science book from an interesting perspective of science and history. Also perhaps one of the few nonfiction books I've read that used bold type sparingly enough so as to actually be effective! There are maybe seven or eight phrases put in bold, and I remember all of them.
The book focuses on history through a lens of energy and complexity, examining how complexity has risen throughout the universe's timeline (a cell is more chemically complex than a star; agriculture is more complex than hunting/gathering, etc.) It also stresses the importance of collective learning (net gain of information from one generation to the next) in how humans are able to dominate the rest of the biosphere. I was personally fascinated by the descriptions of different types of supercivilizations at the end of the book.
The book focuses on history through a lens of energy and complexity, examining how complexity has risen throughout the universe's timeline (a cell is more chemically complex than a star; agriculture is more complex than hunting/gathering, etc.) It also stresses the importance of collective learning (net gain of information from one generation to the next) in how humans are able to dominate the rest of the biosphere. I was personally fascinated by the descriptions of different types of supercivilizations at the end of the book.
February 21, 2023
This is a great ready for people who are interested in space and the history of the universe but wanted a book that's easy to ready for the the every day person. Many books on these topics currently on the market use language that can be difficult for people who aren't professionals in the field to be able to read and understand. This book was a quick read in easy to follow and understand language. Its also a great read for anyone with a newly developed interest in space to dig into some of the history, science, and existing research but readable in a way that can be easily understood and followed.
Thank you to Netgalley, David Baker, and The Experiment for providing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley, David Baker, and The Experiment for providing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
September 7, 2023
The interesting idea here is measuring growth in complexity by measuring the flow of energy. A biological organism requires greater density of energy than a star.
* The Sun has 2 erg/g/s (a unit of free energy per gram per second)
* A single-celled organism has 900 erg/g/s
* A tree 10'000 erg/g/s
* A dog 20'000 erg/g/s
How does life meet its demand of the energy? It goes out and actively finds it, while a star can simply float in space and burn its alredy existing fuel
The book then analyzes human history from agrarian societies (100'000 erg/g/s), to industrial revolution (500'000 erg/g/s) and modern life (2 mil. erg/g/s).
With this trajectory of increase of energy flow the book attempts to also project what the future holds by interpolating.
* The Sun has 2 erg/g/s (a unit of free energy per gram per second)
* A single-celled organism has 900 erg/g/s
* A tree 10'000 erg/g/s
* A dog 20'000 erg/g/s
How does life meet its demand of the energy? It goes out and actively finds it, while a star can simply float in space and burn its alredy existing fuel
The book then analyzes human history from agrarian societies (100'000 erg/g/s), to industrial revolution (500'000 erg/g/s) and modern life (2 mil. erg/g/s).
With this trajectory of increase of energy flow the book attempts to also project what the future holds by interpolating.
August 7, 2023
While I enjoyed this book overall, I do think it would be better named The Shortest History of Mankind, because while it does go over the beginning of the universe, at least 90% of this book is the history of humanity and very little else. It is well written and overall entertaining, but I anticipated this book would spend more time on the universe itself instead of focusing so much on just human history.
If you are interested in the history of mankind, you will really love this. But if you are looking for something that spends a little more time on the "universe" part of the history of our universe, this one might not be for you.
If you are interested in the history of mankind, you will really love this. But if you are looking for something that spends a little more time on the "universe" part of the history of our universe, this one might not be for you.
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July 23, 2025Imagine a speck. A tiny speck. This is the Big Bang singularity 13.8 billion years ago at 10–43 seconds. All energy and matter were contained within that speck. All the ingredients for the rest of our story. But whatever you do, don’t imagine that there is space outside the speck. Space is a property of our Universe and exists entirely inside it. As the Universe expands, more space is created. Don’t even imagine pitch blackness outside the speck, like we see at night between the stars. That is space. At the moment of the Big Bang there was nothing but the speck.
A tale of the cosmos to "US". What a fascinating book i've thumb through.
A tale of the cosmos to "US". What a fascinating book i've thumb through.
April 29, 2023
This concise book traces the history of the universe from the Big Bang to the present day. Drawing on physics, chemistry, biology, and more, the book is entertaining and easy to read. It also looks forward to the future of humanity, from how we can affect climate change to the possibility of finding a new home elsewhere in the cosmos.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
August 23, 2024
Moja druhá kniha v sérii "najstručnejšia história" a táto sa mi páčila ešte viac ako história Európy. Myslel som si, že sa bude zaoberať iba históriou našej civilizácie, ale v skutočnosti kniha rozoberá "nárast zložitosti" v našom vesmírne od Big Bangu po súčasnosť(a budúcnosť?), kde sú ľudské dejiny len prejavom tohto univerzálneho princípu. Po prečítaní knihy som pocítil kľud, že všetko vo vesmírne je také, ako má byť. Len my ľudia máme pocit, že sa všetko točí okolo nás...
June 26, 2025
having a background in evolution and physics definitely helped me appreciate this book on a deeper level. that said, this may be a little difficult for the everyday reader to digest. i took the title at face value and was expecting a more thorough dive into the birth of the universe and the formation of our world. the beginning of the book does this well, but the following chapters are more closely aligned with anthropology.
June 5, 2023
This book is not only about the history of the universe, but also the history of humans. I was able to read it and understand most of the information. Some books about the universe are just too hard to comprehend. I found it somewhat depressing and never realized what a struggle our Earth and living creatures have had.
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December 8, 2023As a big space fan, I loved this book! If you were someone who watched Bill Wurtz's "History of the entire world, i guess" and liked it then you'd enjoy this read as well. While being a book based in a lot of historical fact, the author brings a fun attitude to it and makes all the sciency stuff digestible for people who don't know a lot of terminology.
January 28, 2024
Absolutely fascinating.
Baker takes a complex topic with a timeline of nearly 14 billion years and makes it understandable, easily digestible and keeps you wanting to read more in 216 pages.
The future of humanity is bright, and full of hope. It is hard to see, but where we have made it too is beyond remarkable.
Baker takes a complex topic with a timeline of nearly 14 billion years and makes it understandable, easily digestible and keeps you wanting to read more in 216 pages.
The future of humanity is bright, and full of hope. It is hard to see, but where we have made it too is beyond remarkable.
August 20, 2024
A lot of the book is stuff I already know but it was really interesting to read in chronological order like that. Almost existential crisis-y but then like turned hopeful. I think it’s really interesting the way this author presents the events of all of the universe and the repeating themes throughout them.
July 29, 2023
It was great to learn the most recent science about where we came from, where we are, and where we might be going. Baker has a tremendous gift for explaining complex and foreign concepts to a lay audience. Def will be re-reading to fully wrap my head around things.
July 17, 2023
Super readable, concise, and interesting from before the Big Bang to the end of the universe. Worth the read. Quick. Recommend
August 27, 2023
また読み返したい！
September 4, 2023
Workmanlike ‘Big History’ survey, overcoated with ill-fitting techno-optimism
December 14, 2023
Loved it. Required easy reading…
March 10, 2024
Exactly as advertised. And concise history of our universe to now with a surprisingly hopeful hypothesis for the future.
August 30, 2024
I can’t really add anything new to what has been previously written in other 4 star reviews. All I can do is acknowledge and endorse their comments.
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