Astronomy Today (5th Edition)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • New Book that was NOT a new Book
  • For the Non-Science Major
  • Astronomy Today 5th edition
  • A Paradox of Blind Astronomers!
  • A joy to read!
Astronomy Today (5th Edition)
Eric Chaisson , and Steve McMillan
Manufacturer: Benjamin Cummings
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0131445960

Book Description

Chaisson/McMillan's writing style and pedagogically driven art program are recognized as being scientifically accurate yet accessible to non-science majors. The integrated media program contains the market's only E-book. It provides readers with innovative and interactive tools to learn and test their understanding of astronomy concepts. Topics covered include Astronomy and the Universe, Our Planetay System, Stars and Stellar Evolution, Galaxies and Cosmology, and more. For one or two-semester introductory astronomy course.

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars New Book that was NOT a new Book.......2007-06-08

Simply put - I purchased this Astronomy book through Amazon because the price was the same as elsewhere but I would save on shipping. I expected a NEW book but received a Used Book in good condition.
The Book itself so far seems well laid out and interesting but the course I am taking has just reached the 1/3 mark toward completion.

5 out of 5 stars For the Non-Science Major.......2007-03-08

This book is designed to be the astronomy book that non-science majors would use to meet their one-year of science requirement as part of their undergraduate degree. As such it is written without the mathematics content that would be normal in a course aimed at astronoly or physics students. In addition, this particular book has several advantages. To identify just a few:

1. Throughout the book there is an emphasis on teaching the scientific method. This area has been strengthened in this edition because (I'm guessing) the current attempts by the un-intelligent design people to disparage scientific theories.

2. Revised to include the latest discoveries being made by the Mars rovers and the down grading of poor Pluto to a minor planet.

3. Updating the current theories regarding dark matter and dark energy.

In summary this is a well written, well illustrated text, ideally suited for the non-scientists.

5 out of 5 stars Astronomy Today 5th edition.......2006-03-11

I have had a lifetime love of Astronomy but have lacked the mathmatical background for a thorough understanding. Most popular books on the subject rarely cover the field in the manner that I desire. Astronomy Today is a textbook for a beginning course in astronomy at the college level and does, in fact, cover a great deal of information without the need for mathmatical knowledge. The authors express their ideas and information in clear, concise language and clearly manifest an enthusiasm for their subject. I have enjoyed the book immensely.

4 out of 5 stars A Paradox of Blind Astronomers!.......2005-06-23

This is an excellent textbook, but I deducted one star (from a possible five-star rating) because of the absurd comments made by the authors in the beginning of the book. In this fourth edition of Astronomy Today, a textbook published by Prentice Hall for college students, the authors open the very first chapter with the following statements:

"Of all the scientific insights attained to date, one stands out boldly: Earth is neither central nor special. We inhabit no unique place in the universe. Astronomical research, especially within the past few decades, strongly suggests that we live on what seems to be an ordinary rocky planet called Earth, one of the nine known planets orbiting an average star called the Sun, a star near the edge of a huge collection of stars called the Milky Way Galaxy, which is one galaxy among countless billions of others spread throughout the observable universe."

Huh!? Earth isn't special? Compare the other planets in our Solar System to Earth and tell us it isn't special. And Earth is "...an ordinary rocky planet..."? It's the only planet we know of with vast oceans of liquid water, a breathable atmosphere, lush vegetation, and a spectacular collection of life forms. The authors of this textbook must have been "out to lunch" when they wrote that trite introduction, or... this is just another deliberate attempt by "philosophers of gobbledygook" to strip the Earth of its special place in the universe and to squash any special characteristics that may differentiate it from everything else in the cosmos. I strongly suspect the latter viewpoint is the correct one.

The fact is the Earth is indeed a very special place, and the Sun is a very special star. In fact, the Sun-Earth relationship represents a very special arrangement that permits life to thrive upon our planet. Mercury, Venus and Mars may be nothing more than ordinary rocky planets, but Earth is truly unique from all the other planets in our Solar System, and may be truly unique in all the universe.

I stand by my initial rating of the textbook: 4 stars and an excellent read. I just have a wee bit of a problem with blind astronomers.

5 out of 5 stars A joy to read!.......2005-02-18

This book is really outstanding! It contains 757 pages of text (not counting the preface and appendix), about 480 (mostly quite smallish) photos, some 400 drawings/figures/illustrations and almost 50 tables. The writing style is very clear, not at all dry or overtly technical. It is a joy to read this book. I know of no other book that clarifies all kind of astronomical subjects as thoroughly and understandably as this book (and I did read many books on astronomy.....). Highly recommended!
Astronomy: A Beginner's Guide to the Universe, Fourth Edition
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Solid Intro Astronomy Book
  • good condition and speedy delivery
  • Way too expensive for a paperback
  • Astronomy Text Book
  • Great Textbook
Astronomy: A Beginner's Guide to the Universe, Fourth Edition
Eric Chaisson , and Steve McMillan
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0131007270

Book Description

A brief, introductory astronomy book designed for readers with little or no scientific background, A Beginner's Guide uses an exceptionally clear writing style. The authors present a broad view of astronomy without complex mathematics, yet the book discusses important concepts without simplification. The book's organization follows the popular and effective “Earth-Out” progression, starting with our planet and then moving through the solar system. A study of the Sun as a model star follows, then the book covers the Milky Way Galaxy, cosmology, and the universe as a whole. Because of its easy-to-read yet comprehensive coverage of astronomy, this book can serve as excellent reference material for those readers interested in learning about our universe.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Solid Intro Astronomy Book.......2007-03-28

This textbook presents information about the Earth, solar system, and universe in a clear manner that avoids technical jargon while staying scientifically respectable. The author demonstrates the practical uses of mathematics throughout the book and the end of chapter questions challenge the reader's grasp of the material. It's a rarity for such a readable book to be written by a person with this author's impressive educational creditials. I would definitely recommend this text and any other written by Chaisson.

5 out of 5 stars good condition and speedy delivery.......2005-09-19

item arrived in 2 days and was in perfect condition. completely satisfied. would recommend to others!

2 out of 5 stars Way too expensive for a paperback.......2004-08-27

Attractive book but not a good value. All the information is available for free on the internet where it is periodically updated and can be referenced for free without wearing out.

5 out of 5 stars Astronomy Text Book.......2004-01-06

Text book arrived in excellent condition (brand spankin' new) and in a timely manner (about 3 business days). I got a great deal too! No problems whatsoever. Thanks a bunch!

5 out of 5 stars Great Textbook.......2001-03-01

For anyone who has a vague interest in astronomy, this would be the book to read. Albeit not entirely simple, this is a relatively straight forward book that uses excellent examples to explain difficult concepts. There are many charts and diagrams. How exactly does a black hole work? What's the difference between a nova and a supernova (not as simple as you might think)? Why do we get meteor showers? There is a bit of mathematics involved, but nothing too intimidating. This is an excellent textbook. Best of all, a CD-ROM is included with lots of multimedia content, study questions, and links to more sources. Avoid other dry textbooks and purchase this one.
Universe w/Student CD & Starry Night CD: featuring Starry Night Backyard 4.0/Deep Space Explorer
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • "Universe" Astronomy Textbook
  • Great introduction to astronomy with well thought out steps
  • Descriptive Astronomy for the Astronomy Student
  • Quality of the delivered product.
  • Fabulous In-Depth Intro to Astronomy
Universe w/Student CD & Starry Night CD: featuring Starry Night Backyard 4.0/Deep Space Explorer
Roger Freedman , and William J. Kaufmann
Manufacturer: W. H. Freeman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0716769956

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars "Universe" Astronomy Textbook.......2007-09-30

It was very easy to order and the price was the same as my bookstore at school. The only thing that made it more expensive was the shipping and then it took about 5 days to get to me. When I received it it was in a very solidly sealed box that I couldn't open without a knife. When I finally opened it, the back cover of my "soft" textbook had poke holes all over it from where I tried to open the box on the back seam.
The book itself is well written with great pictures of the cosmos.

4 out of 5 stars Great introduction to astronomy with well thought out steps.......2006-11-05

This textbook is well written with well thought out sequence of topics and its bundled softwares are superb. It expounds the items of astronomical subject in clear unambiguous words arranged in logical order requiring only a modest mathematical skill, well suited for a freshman student for science requirement as well as an intelligent and curious lay reader. The content is quite up-to-date; more remarkable for its online companion for prompt updating for currency. For instance, in barely 2 months after new definition excluded Pluto as a planet, the webpage supplement already informs its reader of it. Included exercises and problems are thorough and complete, and thus allowing students to critically refine their grasp of the preceding topics. There are a few minor errors which are easy to be discovered by a reader, and how to access additional websites and CDs are not clear enough in the preface to the student. I base my review only on the first 5 chapters that was covered in my first academic quarter of study. However. browsing the subsequent chapters to the end lend me confidence that the quality has been maintained.

5 out of 5 stars Descriptive Astronomy for the Astronomy Student.......2006-06-11

Most introductory astronomy texts take the descriptive approach and subject the student to very little mathematics. Such tomes assume that the student is taking the course to fulfill a core science requirement or to satiate non-technical interest. This text is a rare exception to this rule.

Throughout the book simple explanations of the scientific phenomena discussed are detailed using algebra and trigonometry. Basic formulas are illustrated and ample problems are given to drive home the mathematical nature of astronomy. This text is perfect for the freshman or sophomore science major who requires a deeper knowledge of astronomy than a non-mathematical text could provide.

Make no mistake, the text can be used easily in a general astronomy class that requires no math prerequisites. However, for the physics or astronomy major who is just starting her study of the subject, this text is the perfect blend of description and mathematics. It would also make a fine introductory graduate text for elementary and high-school teachers who wish to pursue a master's degree.

The software on the enclosed CD-ROM disks makes visualizing the concepts presented within the text much easier. If one's physics department doesn't have access to a planetarium the software offered remedies the problem quite nicely.

1 out of 5 stars Quality of the delivered product........2006-02-21

While the reason for buying the book was met (required text book for university study) the condition of the delivered item was very substandard. When the book arrived it was bent and creased and the front cover had been "pushed" in such a way that it was starting to come away from the spine. The book was not secure in its packaging and was able to slide around inside the box scuffing both front and back covers. I would not be happy if this happened to a $20 book let alone a book that cost me AUS $135.

I will seriously consider next time I need a book whether I will get it from Amazon.com . The amount of money I saved was not worth the damage that occured to the item.

Not Happy!!!!

5 out of 5 stars Fabulous In-Depth Intro to Astronomy.......2005-10-12

I'm an amateur astronomy nut, and have read several dozen books on astronomy, cosmology, etc. This is probably the most clear, in-depth, understandable treatment of astronomical issues that I have ever read. Be it stellar evolution, stellar death, theory of relativity, black holes, galactic evolution -- you name it -- this book presents the research clearly, and explains tough to explain issues in terms I can understand. Bravo! My only complaint is that it's a bit heavy on Solar System research (first half of the book); I found the last half more to my interest.
Astronomy: A Beginner's Guide to the Universe (5th Edition)
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • Awesome
  • Publisher Fails!
Astronomy: A Beginner's Guide to the Universe (5th Edition)
Eric Chaisson , and Steve McMillan
Manufacturer: Benjamin Cummings
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Accessories:
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  2. Supplement: Starry Night Pro, Research, Observation, and Skychart III Projects - Astronomy: A Beginn Supplement: Starry Night Pro, Research, Observation, and Skychart III Projects - Astronomy: A Beginn

ASIN: 013187165X

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Awesome.......2007-05-25

The book was just as i expected!!! it was new, no marks, and no bent pages! it was a great price and it looks like i just bought it from a book store!! shipped really fast! THANKS

1 out of 5 stars Publisher Fails!.......2006-04-19

This textbook is an adequate basic astronomy text that covers all of the bases and as might be expected has many updates reflecting recent research in the field. However, much of the really cool photography, demonstrations, animations, and illustrations are not in the book but are supposed to be on the web-site to which purchasers are given free access for more than an academic year. Although the book was released months ago, the web-site will not be available before the end of May 2006. The Prentice Hall Product Support people took over three weeks to find this out and were unable to offer any other solution to the problem which was shared by half of my class section. Do not purchase this book; it is a ripoff. If you must buy it, buy an older edition that comes with the CD (which the rest of my section purchased.) You won't have to deal with Prentice-Hall. Even better, try "Discovering the Universe" which is better written and comes with a CD.
Essential Cosmic Perspective, The (3rd Edition)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Good book but I believe there are better
  • Everything you want to know, plus a great CDRom!
Essential Cosmic Perspective, The (3rd Edition)
Jeffrey Bennett , Megan Donahue , Nicholas Schneider , and Mark Voit
Manufacturer: Benjamin Cummings
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0805389334

Book Description

The Essential Cosmic Perspective, Third Edition, built from the ground up on our new understanding of the universe, has been revised and streamlined to make it easier for readers to navigate and learn from. Chapter openers, headers, callouts, and chapter summaries make learning goals more explicit and tie together important concepts. Key content has been consolidated and reorganized, with a new emphasis on a planet-by-planet approach. The material is linked to everyday life, helping readers develop an appreciation for the scientific method and see how physics and astronomy are foundations for understanding their world. Supplementing the book is an expanded and easy-to-use media package. Developing Perspective, Key Concepts for Astronomy, Learning From Other Worlds, Stars, Galaxies and Beyond, Life on Earth and Beyond. For college instructors and students, or anyone interested in issues relating to astronomy.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Good book but I believe there are better.......2006-11-27

The good: This book is easy to read and understand, assumes very little of the reader other than a general understanding of current science. Explainations are clear and build logically throughout the book. Very little math - any high school math would be enough to understand what little there is in this book. Information is up to date and the book has many good pictures and diagrams to aid in understanding.

The not as good: I would have liked more in depth detail. I know this is somewhat subjective the book still has nearly 500 pages, however the text often only covers 60% of a page. In comparison to the at least two compeating books "Astronomy Today" and "The Universe" have over 700 pages each and more like 90% of a text page coverage just to grossly compare them. Each of these books also are easy to read, have good pictures and diagrams too.

So all in all this book is good and covers the subject well, but if you wish more detail other books may be better choices.

5 out of 5 stars Everything you want to know, plus a great CDRom!.......2003-04-07

This book is really good, especially for those interested in the universe and its formation. It also comes with a CDRom with video clips and a study guide for students. A useful, and interesting book!
Postcards from Mars: The First Photographer on the Red Planet
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Had some damage
  • So, who is profiting from this great book!
  • Mars at ours fingers
  • spectacular
  • Mars Photography - with a bonus
Postcards from Mars: The First Photographer on the Red Planet
Jim Bell
Manufacturer: Dutton Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0525949852

Book Description

The first photographic tour of the surface of another planet has now been accomplished. Those who thrilled to the lunar beauty of Full Moon and the IMAX smash Roving Mars will marvel at this awesome, vivid, beautiful portrait of what it is like to take a stroll on Mars.

The most fantastic of all journeys—the Spirit and Opportunity mobile robot missions to the surface of Mars—produced over 150,000 astonishing photographs. While the images were made available on low-resolution computer screens as they were sent back across millions of space miles, no one until now has done the painstaking work of editing, cropping, and processing these massive (often larger than 100 megabytes) images.

The person to do it is Jim Bell, the scientist and photographer who led the photography team on this historic expedition. With his unique perspective, these photographs take us from the brave launches of these robots, to the alien landscape they discovered and the mysteries of the planet that they have helped to solve.

Over 150 lavish full-color-process prints bring the colors and textures of Mars to vivid life on the page. Four of the most impressive pictures are presented in their entirety as gatefold images— which extend over three feet in width—providing a view of the surface of another planet unprecedented in its detail and clarity. Postcards from Mars is the perfect gift to give readers who have their feet on the ground and their eyes on the heavens.

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars Had some damage.......2007-09-27

A beautiful book for a good price. However, the book came with a damaged corner that was not related to the packing. It should have been rated at a lower level.

In fact, this has been the only book I have ever received with this kind of damage.

5 out of 5 stars So, who is profiting from this great book!.......2007-05-16

This book is simply fantastic! The photos are "out of this world". However, my only concern is that as a tax payer, who funded these missions to Mars, how is it that someone is profiting from these photos taken by United States of America vehicles? Why isn't the money from this book going to the USA to offset the cost of the mission?

4 out of 5 stars Mars at ours fingers.......2007-05-16

Spirit and Opportunity rovers are in good health after
three years of hard working in freeze dusty environment.
All this history and images are excelent exposed in this
great book.

5 out of 5 stars spectacular.......2007-05-15

Beautifully written and coreographed , this book is spectacular. The photos from the Mars' surface are superb. What backs up the visuals are the insightful information from an scientist who wrote the book and created it. It is very readable and has a lot of interesting information. It is not a book to instantly read through but to read in sections and savor. I am glad I found the review in USAtoday otherwise I might not have even known about it.This is my review and I think it is a great book for those who want to find and learn about Mars up close.

5 out of 5 stars Mars Photography - with a bonus.......2007-05-07

I expected great photographs in this book and I was not disappointed. They are outstanding. What I didn't expect were the detailed text descriptions of the science and engineering that went into this mission. In addition to being a great coffee table book, it is also a book that I have spent many hours carefully reading. That was a bonus that I didn't expect, but one that I deeply appreciate. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this wonderful project.
The Mechanical Universe: Introduction to Mechanics and Heat
Average customer rating: Not rated
    The Mechanical Universe: Introduction to Mechanics and Heat
    Richard P. Olenick , Tom M. Apostol , and David L. Goodstein
    Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 0521304296

    Book Description

    This important textbook is based on, though independent of, an educational TV series to be broadcast on public television in the United States. Its aim is to guide students and general readers to an understanding of how the physical world works; physics is presented as a human endeavour, with historical development forming a thread throughout the text. The prerequisites are minimal, only basic algebra and trigonometry since the necessary calculus is developed in the text, with physics providing the motivation. New concepts are introduced at the natural, logical point with many historical references to place physics in a social perspective. Many topics from twentieth-century physics are included, for example energy, low temperature physics, relativity and black holes. The book is attractively and profusely illustrated and will be welcomed by students and also by general readers for whom this will be a stimulating alternative to other, less-thorough treatments.
    The Cosmic Perspective w/CD
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • cosmic perspective
    • Great Textbook, easy to read and enjoyable to learn.
    • Too easy
    • The Best Introductory Astronomy Book I've Every Read
    • Reviewed by an astronomy student
    The Cosmic Perspective w/CD
    Jeffrey Bennett , Megan Donahue , Nicholas Schneider , and Mark Voit
    Manufacturer: Benjamin Cummings
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0805392696

    Book Description

    KEY BENEFIT: The Fourth Edition of The Cosmic Perspective builds on the textbook's long tradition of strong pedagogy and streamlined presentation. Renowned for its up-to-date and expert coverage, this reader-friendly text focuses on central ideas and unifying themes to provide a cosmic context. The Fourth Editionfeatures a new straightforward learning program that uses chapter openers, headers, and chapter summaries to make learning goals more explicit and to tie together important concepts. Our Place in the Universe, Discovering the Universe for Yourself, The Science of Astronomy, Celestial Timekeeping and Navigation, Key Concepts for Astronomy, Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity, Light and Matter: Reading Messages from the Cosmos, Telescopes: Portals of Discovery, Learing from other Worlds, Our Solar System, Formation of the Solar System, Planetary Geology: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds, Planetary Atmospheres: Earth and the Other Terrestrial Worlds, Jovian Planet Systems, Remnants of Rock and Ice: Asteroids, Comets, and Pluto, Other Planetary Systems, Space and Time, Spacetime and Gravity, Building Blocks of the Universe, Stars, Our Star, Star Stuff, The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard, Galaxies and Beyond, Our Galaxy, A Universe of Galaxies, Galaxy Evolution, Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe, The Beginning of Time, Life on Earth and Beyond, Life in the Universe For all readers interested in learning about astronomy.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars cosmic perspective.......2007-05-31

    i found this book to be very helpful for my intro to astronomy class..the pictures were very helpful

    5 out of 5 stars Great Textbook, easy to read and enjoyable to learn........2007-03-28

    As stated in the title, bought this book for a college course and found it to be a good read and a pleasure to learn from. Lots of great color pictures other artwork.

    3 out of 5 stars Too easy.......2006-08-16

    This book is an excellent introductory to astronomy. However, it seems as if the authors are afraid of scaring away students with a few equations and math. They spend pages trying to describe an astrophysical situation when they could list an equation or a graph that would be more succinct and easier to comprehend.

    5 out of 5 stars The Best Introductory Astronomy Book I've Every Read.......2006-04-20

    The best astronomy book I've ever read. Even more than that, this is the best science book I've ever read. The writing style combined with the excellent illustrations make even fairly complex subject simple and understandable. Even their descriptions of things like relativity are so simple that anyone can understand them.

    Now the book is in its fourth edition, bringing it up to date with:

    the discovery of an object larger than Pluto in our own solar system
    the latest results from the rovers and orbiters studying Mars
    the latest Cassini results from Saturn and Huygens results from Titan
    the Deep Impact mission to Comet Tempel 1
    supernovae observations providing stronger evidence for dark energy
    recent results from the Spitzer Space Telescope
    Mastering Astronomy -- the book includes a one-year subscription to this web based interactive media that has been used by over 100,000 students.

    Note that this book comes in several editions. This one covers everything. The other two are extracted from this book.

    5 out of 5 stars Reviewed by an astronomy student.......2000-01-04

    As an astronomy student at the University of Colorado, I have used "The Cosmic Perspective" as a text book for two of my classes (one on stars and galaxies, and one on the solar system). This book is perfect for both: the text is clear and full of insight; the illustrations and photographs are abundant and extremely professional, and they complement the text superbly; the sections called "Mathematical Insight" give the reader a clear understanding of the science involved, and the sections called "Common Misconceptions" are as fun to read as they are informative.

    I have read this book cover-to-cover, and although it is intended as a text book, it reads like many of the very popular science books I have read. If you enjoyed reading Sagan's "Cosmos", Gribbin's "In Search of the Big Bang", Feynman's "The Character of Physical Law", Lederman's "The God Particle" or Hawking's "A Brief History of Time", you will enjoy this very well-conceived and well-written book.

    "The Cosmic Perspective" is very comprehensive. Besides covering the fundamental concepts of astronomy (such as light as the cosmic messenger; universal motion; celestial timekeeping; and telescopes), this book details how stars are born, evolve and die; the fundamentals of relativity; how the galaxies were formed, as well as how our solar system was formed; how vast space really is; how we know the distances to various objects in our universe; and how we know what happened at the early moments of the Big Bang. Since this book is new (published in 1999), it contains the latest facts and the latest thinking of modern astronomy. This book captured my interest and my enthusiasm the moment I began reading it.
    History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Calculations are only as good as your numbers
    • Pants on fire?
    • Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
    • Very Interesting
    • History as Science Fiction
    History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
    Anatoly Fomenko
    Manufacturer: Mithec
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 2913621058

    Book Description

    Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

    Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

    5 out of 5 stars Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

    Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

    5 out of 5 stars Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

    There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

    For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

    5 out of 5 stars Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

    It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

    4 out of 5 stars History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

    Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

    I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

    Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

    Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
    Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

    I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

    This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
    The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Enough with the stupid pop-culture references
    • Excellent book!! not written like an encyclopedia
    • This book is great
    • einstein for dummies
    • Marvelous (if occasionally uneven) presentation of marvelous physics
    The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality
    Brian Greene
    Manufacturer: Vintage
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0375727205
    Release Date: 2005-02-08

    Amazon.com

    As a boy, Brian Greene read Albert Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus and was transformed. Camus, in Greene's paraphrase, insisted that the hero triumphs "by relinquishing everything beyond immediate experience." After wrestling with this idea, however, Greene rejected Camus and realized that his true idols were physicists; scientists who struggled "to assess life and to experience the universe at all possible levels, not just those that happened to be accessible to our frail human senses." His driving question in The Fabric of the Cosmos, then, is fundamental: "What is reality?" Over sixteen chapters, he traces the evolving human understanding of the substrate of the universe, from classical physics to ten-dimensional M-Theory.

    Assuming an audience of non-specialists, Greene has set himself a daunting task: to explain non-intuitive, mathematical concepts like String Theory, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, and Inflationary Cosmology with analogies drawn from common experience. For the most part, he succeeds. His language reflects a deep passion for science and a gift for translating concepts into poetic images. When explaining, for example, the inability to see the higher dimensions inherent in string theory, Greene writes: "We don't see them because of the way we see…like an ant walking along a lily pad…we could be floating within a grand, expansive, higher-dimensional space."

    For Greene, Rhodes Scholar and professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, speculative science is not always as thorough and successful. His discussion of teleportation, for example, introduces and then quickly tables a valuable philosophical probing of identity. The paradoxes of time travel, however, are treated with greater depth, and his vision of life in a three-brane universe is compelling and--to use his description for quantum reality--"weird."

    In the final pages Greene turns from science fiction back to the fringes of science fact, and he returns with rigor to frame discoveries likely to be made in the coming decades. "We are, most definitely, still wandering in the jungle," he concludes. Thanks to Greene, though, some of the underbrush has been cleared. --Patrick O'Kelley

    Book Description

    From Brian Greene, one of the world’s leading physicists and author the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Elegant Universe, comes a grand tour of the universe that makes us look at reality in a completely different way.

    Space and time form the very fabric of the cosmos. Yet they remain among the most mysterious of concepts. Is space an entity? Why does time have a direction? Could the universe exist without space and time? Can we travel to the past? From Newton’s unchanging realm in which space and time are absolute, to Einstein’s fluid conception of spacetime, to quantum mechanics’ entangled arena where vastly distant objects can instantaneously coordinate their behavior, Greene takes us all, regardless of our scientific backgrounds, on an irresistible and revelatory journey to the new layers of reality that modern physics has discovered lying just beneath the surface of our everyday world.

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars Enough with the stupid pop-culture references.......2007-10-01

    As other reviewers have pointed out, the book tends to unnecessarily incorporate stupid pop-culture references to make the material seem more accessible to the layperson. Instead of making the material more accessible it seems extremely contrived and insults the intelligence of the reader. References to the Kwik-E-Mart, Mulder and Scully, and all of the other hoohah this book contains obscure the reader from what is essentially a fine work. Brian Greene's writing and explanatory power is unbelievable and it is a shame that the publisher probably insisted on the pop-culture references.

    The book was definitely worth the purchase for its clear explanations of extra dimensions and the arrow of time. However, I did feel the portions dealing with time travel and black holes to be of lesser quality than writings by other authors like Michio Kaku. I recently read Kaku's "Parallel Worlds," and this book back to back and would say that if you're purchasing one book I would side with Kaku. This book contains much more on time than "Parallel Worlds" but the other topics covered are pretty much identical.

    5 out of 5 stars Excellent book!! not written like an encyclopedia.......2007-08-16

    I found this book to be excellent. The author really understands how to take a complex subject like this and not make it read like a tedious textbook, also without dumbing it down to the point you feel like a 2 year old.. excellent read. Fascinating. Highly reccomend

    4 out of 5 stars This book is great.......2007-08-11

    This book is great but I do not know if audio version is the best choice.
    I would like to re-read some parts and see the releated illustrations. I believe it makes it easier to understand.

    4 out of 5 stars einstein for dummies.......2007-07-12

    makes a very complicated subject readable for the layman.
    it seemsthat the more science advances the more mysterious the
    world becomes.
    for me it reveals Gods creation as even more amazing as time
    goes by
    h.g.

    5 out of 5 stars Marvelous (if occasionally uneven) presentation of marvelous physics.......2007-07-11

    I read the first half of _The Elegant Universe_, but I didn't finish it. I think it was because I felt that Greene was giving too much string theory without enough justification for giving me so much string theory. This may sound like an odd complaint, but it makes sense if you compare the earlier book with The Fabric of the Cosmos. Greene spends more time walking through..well..the fabric of the cosmos, and when he does get to string theory, it makes more sense why.

    I actually found the string theory portion of the book (section 4 out of 5) less interesting than the first sections, which give a lot of experimentally based information about really, really crazy things in general relativity and quantum mechanics (inflation, entanglement, the time "loaf," quantum uncertainty, multiple pasts, entropy, symmetry, etc.). Greene is very good at explaining what these experiments & theories mean on an intuitive level. Sometimes too good. (Some of the examples using Bart Simpson, etc. are a little slower than necessary, but never egregiously so.) There are plenty of moments in the text that hurt your brain, however, so if the material is new to you, the presentation will not detract.

    One of the best features of the book is the leitmotiv of time's arrow. Greene keeps returning to the problem of time: why does it only flow in one direction, when physical law seems to suggest that it could just as well flow in both directions? The answer (as far as we know) is entropy, and he uses time and entropy to tie his narrative together.

    The last section of the book (section 5) is a pastiche, and some of it seemed disjointed. But the book ends on a fascinating reflection on the composite, non-fundamental nature of spacetime, and he does encourage his reader to check out Lee Smolin's theory of quantum loop gravity, which is a counter to string theory.

    Having recently read Dawkin's _God Delusion_, I took note of the fact that Greene also declares himself (toward the end of the book) as a determinist-materialist-monist. I was struck by how infinitely less aggressive Greene's representation of this position is.

    A great read!

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