A Brief History Of The Universe

The title puts you in mind of Stephen Hawking’s cosmology bestseller, but JP McEvoy’s book is a straight history of astronomy. It covers a wide span of time, from ancient Babylon 2,000 years before the birth of Christ, to the confirmation of Big Bang predictions by the COBE space probe.

Because there’s so much history between the covers, it’s an inevitably broad account. And by switching between key personalities like Kepler, Galileo and Newton to carry the story, the book’s flow feels somewhat fractured. But it’s a well written primer and wonderful for reference.

Graham Southorn