A simple, non-technical introduction. Coles discusses the history of the subject, the development of the Big Bang theory and more speculative issues like quantum cosmology, superstrings and dark matter.
'There is an embarrassment of books about the universe for the general reader, but few manage to pack so much, so elegantly, into such a compact space as this does. The book is generously illustrated.' The Guardian
1. A Brief History; 2. Einstein and All That; 3. The Big Bang; 4. In the Beginning; 5. Cosmology by Numbers; 6. What's the Matter?; 7. The Emergence of Structure; 8. The Future