The Edge of the Sky: All You Need to Know about All-There-Is

Trotta, Roberto

3.44

451 ratings by Goodreads

9781483022079: The Edge of the Sky: All You Need to Know about All-There-Is

ISBN 10: 1483022072 ISBN 13: 9781483022079

Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks, 2014

From the big bang to black holes, from dark matter to dark energy, from the origins of the universe to its ultimate destiny, The Edge of the Sky tells the story of the most important discoveries and mysteries in modern cosmology-with a twist. The book's lexicon is limited to the thousand most common words in the English language, even excluding physics, energy, galaxy, and universe. Through the eyes of a fictional scientist (Student-People) hunting for dark matter with one of the biggest telescopes (Big-Seers) on Earth (Home-World), cosmologist Roberto Trotta explores the most important ideas about our universe (All-There-Is) in language simple enough for anyone to understand.

A unique blend of literary experimentation and science popularization, this delightful book is a perfect gift for any aspiring astronomer. The Edge of the Sky tells the story of the universe on a human scale, and the result is out of this world.

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About the Author:

Roberto Trotta is a theoretical cosmologist in the astrophysics group of Imperial College London. He has held research positions at the University of Geneva and the University of Oxford, as well as visiting positions at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Cape Town, the Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, and the University of California at Santa Barbara. One of the world's leading figures in astrostatistics, a new discipline focusing on the use of statistical methods to solve problems in cosmology and astrophysics, he has published more than fifty scientific papers, contributed to two books, and received numerous awards for his research, including the Michelson Prize of Case Western Reserve University, the Lord Kelvin Award of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Public Engagement Fellowship by the Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK.

Review:

The extraordinary story of the Universe and our journey to understand it is not an easy one to tell to the general public. But because it is the story that binds us all together, it is important to tell it in myriad ways to reach as many people as possible. The Edge of the Sky is an inventive, enjoyable, and thought-provoking contribution to that effort.

-- "Nature"

[A] surprisingly clear, and often poetic, primer on such complicated topics as the big bang, dark energy, and the possibility of multiverses.

-- "Scientific American"

The idea behind this book...is to explain everything we know about the world using only the ten hundred most used words. This is much harder than it sounds because a lot of the words that people who study our world (and all that is outside it) like to use are ones that not many people use very much.

-- "Physics World"

In less capable hands, this experiment could backfire and become confusing rather than charming. In Trotta's, ordinary words are bent and spun to achieve extraordinary results. He uses his self-imposed limits to find new ways to describe reality...One of the pleasures of the book is the way it grounds distant places or obscure concepts in homely language...Another is the little surprises that pop up in Trotta's sentences, which detonate like scientific Zen koans...[A] playful, elegant little story.

-- "Columbus Dispatch"

Trotta's deft word choices quickly draw the reader into a surprisingly vivid alternate reality where student-persons (scientists) strive to pierce the mysteries of the All-There-Is: the universe....[T]he spare writing is elegant, even poetic. Literary experiments tend either to work or to flail with awkwardness; in Trotta's hands, this beautifully written book, with its limited vocabulary, soars.

-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"

A simplified but by no means simplistic introduction to modern cosmology and physics...An entertaining exercise, in the end, for those student-people who like to ponder the All-There-Is while testing the always-inadequate limits of language.

-- "Kirkus Reviews"

Bronson Pinchot's superb performance showcases what turns out to be a charming masterpiece of scientific storytelling. Pinchot introduces listeners to the 1,000 most commonly used words. His recitation takes on the quality of poetry, with its changing meter and playful inflections. Who knew a list could be so enchanting? From there, the story of all-there-is unfolds, and Pinchot's careful narration brings Trotta's creative wordplay to life so that listeners quickly learn to translate simple words into complex concepts. A treat for the imagination worthy of repeat listens. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award.

-- "AudioFile"

How many different chords must you know before you can appreciate a symphony? How many different brush strokes must you master before you can appreciate a painting? How many different words do you need to use to appreciate the wonders of the universe? Roberto Trotta claims just one thousand and bravely put pen to paper to try and prove it in this enjoyable short volume.

-- "Lawrence M. Krauss, foundation professor and director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University"

Cosmology and astrophysics are confusing at the best of times. But, against all the quantum odds, Dr. Roberto Trotta has managed to explain the topics using just one thousand unique words. Readers of The Edge of the Sky will be treated to a delightful, poetic journey into our world, other worlds, and beyond without ever feeling like their vocabulary is holding them back. And yet that is not this book's greatest achievement. More impressive than the linguistic poetry and more profound than the hard science herein is the overwhelming sense of awe and wonder this book gifts the reader.

-- "Stephen Follows, writer and film producer"

A wonder-full not-afraid story-telling try-it-and-see, about big-sky-study of today with only the ten-hundred most used words. Very not-usual, most good. Fun, too. Buy now!

-- "Ian Stewart, mathematics professor emeritus, University of Warwick, and author of Visions of Infinity"

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