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Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe Paperback – Illustrated, November 1, 2005
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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.
- Print length532 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateNovember 1, 2005
- Dimensions7.9 x 5.3 x 1.7 inches
- ISBN-100007162219
- ISBN-13978-0007162215
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“It’s hard to imagine a grander, more thrilling story…fast-paced…hugely entertaining…Big Bang is, quite literally, cosmic.” — New York Times
“Inimitable. . . . There’s no better account of the big bang theory.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A clear, lively, and comprehensive view of the way science arrived at the leading theory of how everything began.”- — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“This book is a blast...who knew that the Big Bang could be so much fun?” — James Gleick, bestselling author of CHAOS and FASTER
“Singh is one of the best science journalists writing today...Impressive.” — London Times (Sunday)
“An expert but friendly guide to help you decode the mysteries [of the universe] with crisp, clear running commentary.” — Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful Mind
“Singh’s unerring eye for picturesque anecdotes and his capacity for simplifying complex scientific ideas is a winning formula.” — Saturday Daily Telegraph (London)
“(Singh) is a gifted expositor, ready to venture to places other science popularisers don’t even try to reach.” — The Mail (on Sunday)
“Highly readable… Singh brings the colourful protagonists in his story to life.” — New Scientist
“Singh spins tales of cryptic intrigue in every chapter.” — Wall Street Journal on The Code Book
“Entertaining and satisfying. . . . Offers a fascinating glimpse into the mostly secret competition between codemakers and codebreakers.” — USA Today on The Code Book
“Enthralling...commendably lucid...[Singh’s] book provides a timely and entertaining summary of the subject.” — Economist on The Code Book
“Brings together...the geniuses who have secured communications, saved lives, and influenced the fate of nations. A pleasure to read.” — Chicago Tribune on The Code Book
“An absorbing tale of codemaking and codebreaking over the centuries.” — Scientific American on The Code Book
“The history of mathematics comes alive even for those who dread balancing their checkbooks.” — Publishers Weekly on Fermat's Enigma
“An excellent account of one of the most dramatic and moving events of the century.” — New York Times on Fermat's Enigma
“Fascinating…Simon Singh loves storytelling and has a knack for digging up underappreciated characters.” — New York Newsday
“Singh is a gifted writer…a good storyteller…and [he] knows how to describe and explain complex and esoteric subjects.” — San Diego Union-Tribune
From the Back Cover
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.
About the Author
Simon Singh received his Ph.D. in particle physics from the University of Cambridge. A former BBC producer, he directed the BAFTA Award-winning documentary film Fermat's Last Theorem and wrote Fermat's Enigma, the best-selling book on the same subject. His best seller The Code Book was the basis for the BBC series The Science of Secrecy.
Product details
- Publisher : Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (November 1, 2005)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 532 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0007162219
- ISBN-13 : 978-0007162215
- Item Weight : 1.05 pounds
- Dimensions : 7.9 x 5.3 x 1.7 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #281,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #317 in Cosmology (Books)
- #420 in Astrophysics & Space Science (Books)
- #441 in Astronomy (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Simon Singh is a science journalist and TV producer. Having completed his PhD at Cambridge he worked from 1991 to 1997 at the BBC producing Tomorrow's World and co-directing the BAFTA award-winning documentary Fermat's Last Theorem for the Horizon series. He is the author of Fermat's Last Theorem, which was a no 1 bestseller in Britain and translated into 22 languages. In 1999, he wrote The Code Book which was also an international bestseller and the basis for the Channel 4 series The Science of Secrecy.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book excellent for laymen, with a highly explanatory style that makes complex topics accessible. Moreover, the book provides a comprehensive history of cosmology, and one customer notes it serves as an eloquent history of scientific progress. Additionally, customers appreciate the storytelling, with one mentioning it reads like a suspense novel. However, the pacing receives mixed reviews, with some finding it a fantastic start while others consider it a basic review.
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Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a fantastic and exciting read that is particularly suitable for laymen and even more experienced readers.
"...This is by far the best book from Simon Singh. A well articulated story starting from Ancient Greeks to the modern Nobel prize winners...." Read more
"...This really is a superb book, and very well written...." Read more
"This is one of the best books I've ever read describing the history of astronomy as it pertains to the development and eventual acceptance of the..." Read more
"...It is a broad, useful overview that serves well as an introductory text for neophytes and students, but it will be disappointing to scholars of all..." Read more
Customers find the book easy to read and understand, with a highly explanatory style that makes complex topics accessible.
"...He can explain difficult, mind-bending concepts and vast measurements of scale better than probably anyone alive...." Read more
"...This is what Simon Singh tells us in a very funny and highly explanatory style: in fact, every time we need a drawing he puts it, and when (or if)..." Read more
"...Well written, easy to follow, lots of illuminating examples, hits all the highlights. Singh is a very good teacher...." Read more
"...This book provides a concise sequence of discoveries leading to the success of the Big Bang Theory, without losing logical flow...." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's comprehensive history of cosmology, describing it as one of the most concise accounts of astronomical discoveries, with one customer noting how it contrasts early theories of the universe.
"Big Bang is a very comprehensive summary of Physical Sciences, leading to Astronomy and eventually to Cosmology...." Read more
"...Chapter 1 covers among other things: Early astronomical achievements such as determining the size of the earth, distance to the sun, development of..." Read more
"...In fact, this book is a history of the entire science of cosmology, and so it begins with tribal myths, and the first struggles of the pre-Socratics..." Read more
"...good but I loved "The Big Bang" because it put forth a chronological historical approach to the big bang theory...." Read more
Customers appreciate the storytelling in the book, particularly how it covers the discoveries of scientists, with one customer noting that it reads like a suspense novel.
"...This is by far the best book from Simon Singh. A well articulated story starting from Ancient Greeks to the modern Nobel prize winners...." Read more
"...scientific information, the writer also provides small interesting stories about the scientists involved, making reading the book an enjoyable..." Read more
"I wish this book were available when I was at school. It is a great story telling and I couldn’t put it down...." Read more
"...It is the best non fiction book I have ever read. It was only natural for me to sample other works by Simon Singh and I am not disappointed...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with some finding it a fantastic start while others note it's pretty basic stuff that serves as a review.
"...book is not a comprehensive review of the Big Bang but it is a fantastic start. Once I started to read it, I had a hard time putting it down...." Read more
"...For example, the book has little or no mention of matter versus anti-matter, quarks, W+ W- Z particles, which are all shown in the clipping...." Read more
"A Good Start, but a Truly Useful History of How this Important Scientific Theory Developed is Still Needed..." Read more
"...The book is not really for me a page turner...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2008Big Bang is a very comprehensive summary of Physical Sciences, leading to Astronomy and eventually to Cosmology. This is by far the best book from Simon Singh. A well articulated story starting from Ancient Greeks to the modern Nobel prize winners. He describes in detail the Greeks assumptions of a round and spinning earth. And their measurements of Earth's circumference (Eratosthenes), relative sizes of moon and earth (Anaxagoras), and the distance to Sun (Aristarchus).
Moving to the middle ages, the story of Tyco Brahe who took observational astronomy to an entirely new level of accuracy. Tyco's experimental data was interpreted correctly by Kepler who was myopic and suffered multiple visions from birth. Experiments of Galileo with pendulum, falling bodies, his observation of planets with the newly invented telescope and his ultimate friction with the Church. He mentions how Galileo could uniquely maintain religious beliefs and scientific dogmas in his mind at the same time, without any conflicts.
On how Newton stood on the shoulders of the Giants and built on the planetary model to explain Gravity. William Herschel used telescope to discover the distant planets and their satellites. He came up with a rough size of the Milky Way Galaxy. His son John started recording the celestial pictures on newly invented medium-photography. With this technique, Astronomy entered a new phase.
Beyond the Renaissance, how Einstein comes up with his thought experiments leading to theories of relativity (Special and General). For the first time I could understand that Special theory of relativity applied to bodies moving at constant speeds while General theory applied to accelerating or decelerating bodies. Time dilation and length contraction occur in fast moving bodies. How his theories lead to Alexander Friedman's prediction of an evolving Universe. How George Lemaitre's concluded that General theory of relativity implied a moment of creation, and hence Big Bang. And Einstein ended up denouncing both of them and came up with a Cosmological constant, which proves to be the biggest blunder of his life. George Lemaitre is a Belgian monk, who like Galielo, had a good balance between Science and Religion. Letting neither interfere with the other, but at the same time being deeply involved with both.
John Goodricke discovered that the Cepheid stars have variable brightness. Because, unlike our Sun, they are not in a state of equilibrium. They go thru cycles of contraction and expansion. Henrietta Leavitt found a relationship between the period of fluctuation and apparent brightness by collecting data from a group of Cepheids in the Magellanic cloud. A team of astronomers found the distance to one Cepheid. Henrietta's theory was used to calculate distances of other Cepheids. Hale's efforts to build bigger and bigger telescopes. Edwin Hubble's greatest contribution by using these telescopes to prove that Andromeda is a separate Galaxy and that the Universe is undoubtedly expanding. Hubble's law vindicated George Lemaitre and Alexander Friedman.
Ralph Alpher and George Gamow predicted that in the early Universe, after the Big Bang, matter existed as plasma, which cooled to 3000 degree centigrade and condensed to atoms, as the cosmic fog lifted, and Cosmic background radiation was emitted in all directions. This red shifted light in the microwave region was discovered by Penzias and Wilson of AT&T. Fred Hoyle, in spite of his adherence to the loosing Steady State theory, made a significant contribution to the explanation of the nucleosynthesis of heavy elements from dying stars.
Final chapters on the COBE's (Cosmic Background Explorer) precise measurements of Cosmic background radiation and subtle temperature differences in radiation of early Universe, leading to creation of Stars and Galaxies. This was the climatic moment for the Big Bang theory.
This book is a must read for anyone interested in Cosmology.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2013Big Bang is in essence a history of astronomy, or more precisely, cosmology, the study of the universe. Obviously, this is quite a large field of study, but one that Simon Singh accomplishes beautifully.
Despite his education, Simon Singh can write, and write well. He can explain difficult, mind-bending concepts and vast measurements of scale better than probably anyone alive. And what do I mean by 'despite his education', for Simon Singh is really Simon Singh, Ph.D., with a degree in particle physics from Cambridge University, the school that gave us such scientists as Sir Isaac Newton, Stephen Hawking, Charles Darwin, James Clerk Maxwell, Rutherford, and Alan Turing. After working at CERN in Switzerland for a while after graduation, he decided to become an author, journalist, and TV producer, with the goal of bringing science to the everyday man (and woman). The problem is, of course, that most scientists cannot write, at least stuff that you and I can understand. Well, Dr. Singh can do that.
The Big Bang traces the history of the theory of the Earth and the universe from the ancient Egyptians calculating, with remarkable accuracy, of the size of the Earth, to experiments requiring sophisticated satellites that must orbit the earth for years, making measurements that are impossible to make from earth, before useful data can be collected from them.
Dr. Singh talks about how astronomers calculate the distance to planets, other stars, and even other galaxies. He talks about telescopes, compasses, and radio telescopes. He talks about gravity, spacetime, and relativity. He talks about measurements being taken that must be accurate to four or more decimal places to be useful.
This really is a superb book, and very well written. I have just read it, but plan on reading it again within a few months, to help cement some of the knowledge into my brain.
Highly recommended.
Top reviews from other countries
- RogerReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars An easy to understand and entertaining account of the creation of the universe
This brilliant book by Simon Singh, first published in 2004, seeks to explain the theories that have existed since ancient times until the modern day concerning the structure, age and creation of the universe. Singh has an easygoing style of writing and having said what he wants to say he will often summarise the remarks he has made, thus making sure he has been fully understood and that the reader is keeping up to speed. Also, rather than just discuss the cold scientific facts, he brings the subject to life by describing the personalities involved, and the challenges they faced in their attempts to solve the mysteries of the cosmos. Each chapter also ends with a helpful two page "handwritten" summary covering the salient points.
He starts the book by addressing the place of the earth in the big scheme of things, going through the various early theories where the earth was at the centre of everything. Interestingly, in the third century BC the ancient Greek astronomer Aristarchus had worked out that it was the earth that moved around the sun and not the other way around, but he lost out to the views of heavyweights Aristotle and Ptolemy who had both favoured a geocentric model. In fact, logic and common sense seemed to rule out the idea of the earth orbiting the sun, for reasons such as if the earth was travelling through space at great speed we would feel a tremendous wind and would be knocked off our feet as the ground moved under us. Not to mention that placing the earth at the centre of the universe was a useful way of explaining gravity in that everything was attracted to this centre point. The geocentric view prevailed for many centuries, this position also suiting the early church who stood steadfast against anyone proposing something different. But, eventually, through the determined efforts of Copernicus, Tycho Brahe and Galileo in the 16th century, science won through and the church was forced to accept the heliocentric layout of the solar system.
Singh discusses the speed of light and the postulated existence, or otherwise, of the ether. I was surprised to read that it was as early as 1670 when the Danish astronomer, Ole Rømer, first recognised that light had a finite speed and he made a not unreasonable estimate of this speed based on calculations of apparent anomalies in the orbit of one of the moons of Jupiter. Of course, of critical importance in understanding light was Einstein's contribution, which led to the development of his special theory of relativity. Singh's account naturally progresses to Einstein's general theory of relativity and to his view that the universe was static, although he did need to add a cosmological constant to his general relativity theory to support this conjecture. But shortly afterwards saw the (then) unpopular, and independently developed, theories of Friedman and Lemaître which proposed an expanding universe, with Lemaître being the first to recognise that if the universe was expanding then it must once have been smaller, and once probably minute - hence he was the first to hint at a big bang theory although he called it the primaeval atom. Lemaître also had the distinction of being both a physicist and an ordained priest, so he can be thought of as having hedged his bet when it came to theories of creation.
Next, Singh discusses the discovery in the early 20th century that many of the so-called nebulae that were visible through telescopes were actually far away galaxies, and not, as some thought, merely objects within our own Milky Way galaxy. Further research, notably by Hubble, showed that most of these galaxies were moving away from earth, and the further they were away, the faster they were moving. Experimental evidence had thus been found for the expansion of the universe and therefore, as a corollary, an initiation in a big bang, thus opening the way to a proper Big Bang theory.
But, moving on, Singh notes that this incipient Big Bang theory had problems. For example, it couldn't account for how the heavy chemical elements had formed. George Gamow had led efforts that succeeded in explaining how the heat of the big bang would have led to the fusion of proton and neutrons, leading to the formation of helium in the proportion that it is present in the universe today. But he couldn't explain the formation of the heavier elements. Another issue was the age of the universe, because using the estimated speeds and distances of far away galaxies, it seemed that the universe was younger than the age of the earth, as calculated from radioactivity measurements. In the 1940s, Fred Hoyle, along with others, proposed an alternative to the Big Bang theory by suggesting a Steady State model in which the universe was expanding but where new matter was continually being created in the gaps between the old galaxies. The discrepancies in the age of the earth and the universe were less of a problem for this theory but it still had its own difficulties. It couldn't, for instance, account for the formation of any of the elements, not even helium. Throughout his life, Hoyle remained very critical of the Big Bang Theory and ironically it was he who coined the term "Big Bang", although it was intended to be derogatory.
The battle between the Big Bang and Steady State theories continued but slowly the ground moved in favour of the former. Successive discoveries uncovered errors in estimates of the size of the universe, and hence its age, and it was shown that the universe was indeed older than the earth, which was a welcome boost for the Big Bangers. Then, by calculating the pressures and temperatures expected to be found in stars during their life cycles, Hoyle was successful in theorising how the heavier elements could have formed from helium. Although Hoyle was a Steady Stater, his research had helped both camps. Then radio astronomy was successful in finding younger galaxies at the far reaches of the universe - their absence in the closer parts of the universe contradicted the predictions of the Steady State model, adding further weight to the Big Bang theory. The final nail in the coffin for the Steady State argument was the accidental discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation by Penzias and Wilson. Big Bang theorists had predicted the presence of this radiation, which dates back to about 300,000 years after the initiation of the universe, and they had been proved right. In the 1990s, equipment on the COBE satellite detected minor variations in the background radiation, which are thought to reflect minor variations in the density of the early universe, which in turn provided the seeds for the growth of the galaxies.
Curiously, it's only at the end of the book, in an epilogue, that Singh talks about more contentious issues, including inflation, dark matter and dark energy. I was a little puzzled as to why this wasn't incorporated into main text but this is only a minor issue and it doesn't detract from the general flow.
Much of the scientific information in the book I knew already but it was still refreshing and entertaining to see it presented in its historical context, and to read of the struggles by those involved in formulating and then attempting to prove the various theories. For a simple, non-mathematical introduction to cosmology, I think this book is difficult to beat.
- Richard CorongiuReviewed in Australia on February 26, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST READ
If you want an excellent summary of the evolution of the universe and of the science that got us there, then this is the read. Its a must read !
Simon has also written The Code Book and Fermats Last Theorem - READ THESE TOO !
Simon Singh is one of those few who can make clear his own brilliant grasp of the subject and the need to make it cogent to those with an interest.
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例:アマゾン太郎Reviewed in Japan on May 26, 2013
5.0 out of 5 stars まじでおもろかった
2,300年前の初期天文学から最新の宇宙論までーーーっ!!
これは、、、おもろい!抜群!
その言葉どおり、宇宙ジャンル本の中で群を抜いてます(個人比)。
この本、天文学の進展にあわせて、様々な天文学者の背景なんかにもせまっちゃったりするんですが、アインシュタインさん
のとこだけでもその価値十分。すげー面白いですから。
宇宙物理学ではあたりまえのメンドクセー公式とかを最小限におさえて、算数が出来ない読者の好奇心を最後までがっちり掴み
続けて離しませんから。
個人的感想ですが、初期天文学でなんとも驚きなのは、なんと2,300年も前に、地球が球体であるだけではなく、地球の大きさ、
月の大きさ、月までの距離、果ては、太陽の大きさ、太陽までの距離を科学的手法で調査し、かなり正確に理解していた人が
いたのだと。
いやはや、まじで??となります。コロンブス(1490年代)以前の連中、どいつもこいつも総ボンクラです。
宇宙は大好きだけど物理や数学は大嫌いだという人生これ手抜きなあなたにわたしに抜群におすすめの一冊。
ちなみに、シンさんの本は他のもまんべんなく面白いです。暗号の本もモチロン抜群に面白かったのでおすすめ。
ちなみに、英語のお勉強にソートーがんばりましたが、英語版より日本語版の方が読みやすいかったです。当然です。
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Jan Onderwater aus NLReviewed in Germany on July 13, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Ein sehr lesenwertes Buch
Dieses buch ist eine sehr gute Einführung in die Big Bang. Wissenschaftsjournalist Simon Sing hat ein Talent dafür sehr Komplexe Sachen so zu erklären das man es versteht. Las auch sein buch über Fermat und über die strategische Wichtigkeit der Chiffrierung.
In diesen buch geht es um den Big Bang, sehr klar erklärt er den.
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Horacio MunguíaReviewed in Mexico on May 23, 2021
3.0 out of 5 stars una historia bien contada.
Después de haber leído "El Libro de los Códigos" y "El Enigma de Fermat" la lectura de este libro no entusiasma como pudiera esperarse. Sin embargo, el relato es apegado a la historia y suficientemente explicado para un lector con educación media.