Cosmos: The Story of Cosmic Evolution, Science and Civilisation

però bisogna sapere che NON ci sono immagini (l'edizione originale era illustrata).

Maravilhoso, veio tudo certinho, mas demorou 20 dias após a data esperada.

Cosmos (Carl Sagan)Turn on any TV these days and there will be channels with one of more science , history or arts programmes.Some 26 years ago (1980) these programmes were relatively rare and a classic 13 one hour episode science programme entitled the Cosmos was presented as a personal view by one Carl Sagan ( sometime participant of various NASA space programmes and cosmological investigations then Director of Planetary studies at Cornell University) . An accompanying book to the series was also written and published. It covered right up until the Voyager mission views of Jupiter and Saturn in 1977-1979. (Voyager 2 – still active in 2016 – has just passed Pluto and left the conventional Solar system – not bad for 1975 technology. Its onboard power source – a mini nuclear reactor – should last another 10 years)The hardback book contains both script and illustrations and can be obtained as good quality second hand ,for very reasonable prices.A book allows stopping , pausing , thinking , reversing and rereading the text but for those who want the full visual experience ( film/TV presentation being intrinsically different to books with the sight , sounds , narration and a flowing story line to hold the attention) . The TV series had updates added some 10 years later and in 2000 , a DVD transfer was released. The TV series also featured a music soundtrack taken from “Heaven and hell” ( (Vangelis 1975) . Obviously there have been many advances / updates in the last 30 or so years but I can still recommend both as an example of the thoughts and presentation of the times . Carl Sagan , a great communicator , sadly died in 1996Rate 5 star as classic examples of their time covering the Cosmos ( as it seemed then) . The series ended very topically with a view of our the earth , and the threats faced by the latter - comparing the possible outcomes of irresponsible misuse of the planets resources to the planetary hell of Venus and the cold desolation of Mars.(Note there has been a recent re casting of the original series by Neil de Grasse Tyson ( written in conjunction with Carl Sagan’s widow) – also available on DVD and Blu Ray. The content is more up to date but many still prefer the older Sagan version with less reliance on CGI.)

like any of sagan's books, a must read for everybody, no matter the age! The book is pretty much the same with the wondrous documentary series "Cosmos". The documentary and the book are just masterpieces. We live in a world of wonders, and we don't even acknowledge it... but read the book, watch the series, and you'll definitely be wiser and a better person!

Bien que vieux de trente ans, cet ouvrage est un parfait complément de la série télévisée du même nom. L'ayant possédé à l'époque (et prêté à une personne indélicate qui ne me l'a pas rendu) j'ai rêvé de le retrouver. Il n'est pas réédité. Je suis content de l'avoir retrouvé. Il a conservé pour moi toute la magie d'antan.

You don't expect someone whose obvious forte is mathematics and science to be a fantastic writer to boot, but Carl Sagan writes beautifully indeed. I'll try to make this review as useful as possible. The subject matter varies between chapters, with some of them more scientifically dense (and therefore fascinating) and others are historically informative. Here is a basic topic of chapters (not in order):-A chapter putting into perspective how little we know and how many wondrous things there are yet to discover about our existence-A chapter on Venus, among other planets and bodies, within our solar system along with musings on why it is habitable or not-A chapter on Mars and everything it has meant to us and was discovered to be like-A chapter devoted to the very first scientific awakening of our race-A chapter that addresses the likelihood of communication with other intelligent life These are just a couple of the chapters. You'll learn about how, scientist by scientist, we amassed the information and knowledge we have to date, and the magnitude and elegance of each of their respective contributions. Carl will teach you about the laws of the universe that everything in it obeys You'll learn not just elementary facts about the planets in our solar system, but the "how" and "why" behind their characteristics and attributes. You will be brought to edge of human knowledge and made to look out into the vast wealth of information left to acquire. You will finish this book with a sense of profound curiosity, deep respect, tremendous awe, and quiet humility.Every chapter has a very nice structure to it, following the same basic template: Ask a question or pose a problem, explain, conclude with a look forward. He never leaves anything unfinished or any stone unturned, so you never get the sense of abrupt subject change. Each chapter is intended to be treated as individual, and so it can be likened to a sentence, ending definitively and conclusively with a period. The reviewer that said this is disorganized is being too obsessive and completely missing the point. The book itself is more of a collection of thought-provoking topics than it is some sort of fictional story meant to "flow". If this is what you are seeking, I suggest going back to fiction. It honestly makes the book easier to read the way Sagan structured it. If you are a religious person and are nervous that his atheism might somehow offend you, I assure you that he is never arrogant, confrontational, or mocking. He is simply a humanist, and is looking only to impart upon his audience a true understanding of how beautiful our existence and the science behind it is. Not only does he deliver facts, but he successfully enlightens you. I can honestly say this is the most profoundly educational book I have ever read. I have never learned so much in just one book. I feel not just more educated and knowledgeable, but wiser as a human. He only tries to dispel the hold that superstition has had and the darkness of ignorance that has haunted us throughout our history. He leaves you to believe whatever you want to believe, while making sure you never make the mistake of attributing truly scientific processes to magic. You may even find a better reason to feel spiritually in touch with our human identity and the meaning of life. That's all up to you how you interpret this, but this is beautiful education and enlightenment, not an offensive attack on anything or anyone. He is a beautiful writer and sometimes, I was blown away by the flow of his words. There were some sentences that were as musical and intricately beautiful as symphony. He is truly a loss to our race, both for his knowledge and his perspective. His is the hand that waves away the smoke, clearing that which is otherwise in plain sight for everyone to see. Do recommend. Would make it compulsory reading if I was a dictator.

I can confess it: I became an astronomer because of this book and the corresponding TV series, and I don't regret that. I asked this to be my birthday present when I was 10 or 11, it was 1600 pesetas (an expensive book at this time), and I read it several times. Since them I feel the emotion of these pages, and their strength. When I read this again, I cannot avoid to "float" by the great feeling. A must for anybody who wants to understand this world.

I bought this book when I was perhaps 10 years old - it was the first expensive thing I've bought from my own money, and it was one of the best purchases in my life. This is more than a simple book about facts; Sagan is able to give the reader an impression of the fascination not only of astronomy, but of the triumphs of science in general. The brilliance of the ancient greeks, who calculated the radius of the earth only by the angle of an obelisk's shadow in northern and in central egypt. Kepler's genius and the elegance of its second law.... In addition, it covers many aspects of astronomy in a very interesting way. Extremely inspiring!

Having now read both Cosmos & Pale Blue Dot I can't help thinking on the drive home how precious life is, and how amazing our cities, our countries and our planet would look from above to another civilization. Carl Sagan has left me with the lingering thought, "Could we be the first civilisation that has actually evolved into a form of intelligent life since the Big Bang, and if so, why are we so stupid?"

An absolutely must read for everyone, period.I was introduced to Dr. Carl Sagan through, like many others, his television series "Cosmos". It was something new to me. Before that I used to view science and astronomy as something which neither I was qualified to know nor it was essential for me to know. "Cosmos" changed everything.When I saw the book, I just couldn't resist buying it and since that day, I have read it four times. This book and "Cosmos" series can be considered the most important milestones in the popularization of science. Dr. Sagan worked all his life towards this goal and many people like myself are in his debt for introducing us to the marvelous world of science.The book, as compared to the series, is not that simple to understand for a person who has no knowledge of some of the terms used in the book. But even the stuff that one can understand is awesome and makes one wonder about the universe we are living in.My recommendation to everyone is to read this book and you'll be a different human being by the time you finish it. It will change the way you think.

Everyone should read this excellent book, written by the late Carl Sagan; it should be read in high schools and everyplace where science is taught, because it is one of the most mind-opening books I have ever read. Although it mainly deals with astronomy in an excellent and easy to understand manner, one aspect that it is worth mentioning is the fact that Dr. Sagan was a science loving person that loved and respected all nature, and that is something that can be read between the lines, because he inserts in some parts of the book captivating pieces of his philosophy and his love for the universe and our fragile place in it; he transmits the reader his love for all this things and his optimism that, although we are heading towards out own ruin, it is also in our own hands to avoid self-destruction. The final chapter, "Who speaks for Earth", is well worth reading two or three times, to "acquire" at least a small piece of Dr. Sagan's conscience in the dangers of nuclear war, but also some of his optimistic ideas about our future. I think the Earth lost one of its main scientists and defenders when Dr. Sagan passed away.

The late Carl Sagen had a wonderful way of relating his apparent knowledge of everything into a form that comparative idiots can understand. His genius appears to be, not just his ability to formulate the evalution of the cosmos into something understandable to himself, but into a book understandable to those of us with IQs less than was his 150-plus. I've read this book a couple of times, as well as "A Brief History Of Time" by Stephen Hawking. Both books are wonderful in the authors' attempts to share their enthusiasm of science and physics, but the difference is Sagen's ability to simplify the topic for the common intellect. Hawking either seems unable to to so, or is tackling subject matter much too difficult for the general public. Not so for Sagen... AND Perhaps even now a life-form on another planet across a hundred billion stars from Earth is observing our planet as it appeared in the past, in a better time when the great Carl Sagen lived among us.

I am honored to say I began my career as a physicist when, as a young child, I watched with utter awe the television series "Cosmos". With that series Carl Sagan opened my mind to what can be knowable, given the right tools - and I have not looked back since. He has been called a great communicator and not a great scientist. This I question - because he was more popular than other scientists, that makes him inferior? Regardless of his credentials as a scientist, he undoubtedly began many other scientific careers in addition to my own. Certainly one of these "academic progeny" will change the world for the better, and for this we all must salute him. Cosmos the series, and Cosmos the book, are brilliant for expanding our minds to both what is knowable, and making the knowable knowledge.