From the Big Bang to the evolution of humans to the resignation of Richard Nixon, A Briefer History of Time is a highly irreverent, historically entertaining, and scientifically accurate overview of the 53 most important cosmic milestones of the last 14 billion years.
You'll learn why--even though the Universe is expanding--it never gets any easier to find a parking place. And Martha Stellar will show you how to make a star. And you'll read a classic potboiler account of the origin of life on Earth ("It was a dark and stormy night. In the shallow tide pool, a nucleic acid base collided with a sugar molecule. An amino acid sank beneath the murky depths . . . ."). Other great moments in Eric Schulman's whiz-bang collection of the universe's greatest hits are:
* A Shakespearean account of the production of
helium soon after the Big Bang,
* Assembly instructions for terrestrial proteins
(including consumer safety warnings),
* A prospectus for potential investors in the
Mammalia Class of animals,
* A dragnet-style investigation into the rise and
fall of the Earth's first empire,
* A ballad about the creation of the world-wide web,
* And much, much more.
Complete with a comprehensive and entertaining glossary, A
Briefer History of Time is unique, funny, and
educational. It's the perfect book for readers who want to know what's
been going on for the past 14 billion years and like to laugh while
they learn.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eric Schulman received his B.S. in astrophysics
from UCLA and his M.S. and Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of
Michigan. He's written articles for astronomy, computer science, and
science education journals, has taught astronomy classes at the
University of Virginia, and is on the editorial board of the Annals
of Improbable Research. Dr. Schulman has been on NPR, PRI, and CBC
radio programs reading his "History of the Universe in 200 Words or
Less," which has been translated into more than 30 languages and was
the basis of his first book, A Briefer History of Time. A
60-second
slideshow presentation of the book can be found on the U.S. National
Science Foundation website.
Download A Briefer History of Time
