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Cosmology’s Century: An Inside History of Our Modern Understanding of the Universe Paperback – April 26, 2022

by P. J. E. Peebles (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 96 ratings
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From Nobel Prize–winning physicist P. J. E. Peebles, the story of cosmology from Einstein to today

Modern cosmology began a century ago with Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity and his notion of a homogenous, philosophically satisfying cosmos. Cosmology's Century is the story of how generations of scientists built on these thoughts and many new measurements to arrive at a well-tested physical theory of the structure and evolution of our expanding universe.

In this landmark book, one of the world's most esteemed theoretical cosmologists offers an unparalleled personal perspective on how the field developed. P. J. E. Peebles was at the forefront of many of the greatest discoveries of the past century, making fundamental contributions to our understanding of the presence of helium and microwave radiation from the hot big bang, the measures of the distribution and motion of ordinary matter, and the new kind of dark matter that allows us to make sense of these results. Taking readers from the field's beginnings, Peebles describes how scientists working in independent directions found themselves converging on a theory of cosmic evolution interesting enough to warrant the rigorous testing it passes so well. He explores the major advances―some inspired by remarkable insights or perhaps just lucky guesses―as well as the wrong turns taken and the roads not explored. He shares recollections from major players in this story and provides a rare, inside look at how science is really done.

A monumental work, Cosmology's Century also emphasizes where the present theory is incomplete, suggesting exciting directions for continuing research.

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  1. Print length
    440 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Princeton University Press
  4. Publication date
    April 26, 2022
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0691234477
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0691234472
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"James Peebles, Co-Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics"

"Finalist for the PROSE Award in Cosmology and Astronomy, Association of American Publishers"

"It's hard to imagine anyone better placed to recount the inside story of modern cosmology. . . . For anyone seriously interested in the ways of science and how we came to understand our place in the Universe, this is essential reading."---Giles Sparrow, BBC Sky at Night Magazine

"As expected, the quality is top-notch. . . . [Cosmology's Century] is also very well written. The book is essential reading for anyone interested in the first hundred years of modern cosmology."---Phillip Helbig, The Observatory

Review

"Peebles is the best possible guide to the long and winding road that is the twentieth century's development of understanding the universe. His contributions are right at the center of this tale that now leads reasonable people to think the universe is governed by a tug-of-war between the unseen forces of dark matter and dark energy. Cosmology's Century is a mirror for practitioners and a window for the curious."―Robert P. Kirshner, author of The Extravagant Universe

"A wonderful, rich, and riveting account of the history of modern cosmology by a key player who shaped the field. Peebles writes with characteristic clarity and humility. An absolute must-read for all."―Priyamvada Natarajan, astrophysicist and author of Mapping the Heavens: The Radical Scientific Ideas That Reveal the Cosmos

"Peebles is universally admired among cosmologists as one of the true greats of our time, able to navigate between the abstractions of relativity and the realism of astronomy. As only Peebles could, he carries us from the discovery of a big bang to the precipice of a far future of continued exploration in an enthralling yet knowable cosmos."―Janna Levin, author of Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space

"Peebles offers a remarkable account of how, over the course of a century, researchers in several disparate areas of physics, astronomy, and cosmology pursued questions about the nature and evolution of the universe. Cosmology's Century is a welcome and valuable tour of a fascinating intellectual adventure."―David Kaiser, author of How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture, and the Quantum Revival

"A century of big ideas and powerful instruments has led us to the current model of our universe, with its inflationary beginning, cosmic structure built by the gravity of dark-matter particles, and accelerated expansion caused by dark energy. Cosmology's Century is a firsthand account of that remarkable period by Jim Peebles, who led this grand adventure with his manifold contributions and broad influence. A must-read for any serious student of cosmology."―Michael S. Turner, Kavli Foundation and University of Chicago

"Jim Peebles has surely contributed more to the history of our understanding of the large-scale structure and evolution of the universe than anyone else still in a position to write about it; so written about it he has, and magnificently!"―Virginia Trimble, Former President, International Astronomical Union, Division of Galaxies and the Universe

"An inspiring history of cosmic ideas."―Joseph Silk, author of The Infinite Cosmos: Questions from the Frontiers of Cosmology

"Peebles offers a broad and deep description of cosmology, presenting the history of the field as well as many of the side turns, dead ends, and wrong paths that researchers explored along the way. I really enjoyed reading this book."―David W. Hogg, New York University

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press; Reprint edition (April 26, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 440 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0691234477
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691234472
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 96 ratings

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P. J. E. Peebles

P. J. E. Peebles

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
96 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Orco
5.0 out of 5 stars Good overview account of the main milestones in the scientific pursue cosmology
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2023
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Full disclosure: I'm by no means a trained cosmologist/astrophysicist/astronomer, or any other cosmos-related profesional. I just happen to be a curious engineer who happens to peek into bright individuals' minds, and try to learn something from them.

Mr. Peebles is giving a thorough overview of the last century's main discoveries/formulations/theories his guild did during the XX century, i.e. cosmological models, cosmic microwave background, Dark matter & Dark energy, to name a few.

If you're math savvy enough, and are confortable reading the hundreds of references provided by this Nobel Laureate, go ahead, and reach your own conclusions!
One person found this helpful
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Waterman
5.0 out of 5 stars Cosmological Whatdunit
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2022
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This book is phenomenally good. You can choose to read it as a marvelous piece of the history of Cosmology in recent times, written with the clarity and erudition of a top brain, or as a crime novel, full of red herrings, extra careful detective work, wrong turns, surprises, and so on up to a proper climax, which Old Inspector Peebles calls The Revolution. Inspector Peebles has written the memoirs of a lifetime chasing one criminal: the Universe. He wasn't alone in fighting crime, but he seems to be the only who decided to write the perfect Whatdunit, as Whodunit is still a complete mystery. Over decades, clues and red herrings are explored, circumstantial evidence (which Inspector Peebles calls non-empirical assessments) and court-respectable evidence (empirical assessment and theoretical models) are built up piece by piece to form a very solid case to answer the question "Whatdunit?". I am not revealing the end, but I tell you, it is very satisfying. However, as a perfect Whatdunit, it leaves the door open for a sequel. There are still lots of unanswered questions. Thank you Inspector Peebles!
4 people found this helpful
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Mlangefeld62
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book on Cosmology
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2022
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This is great book on the history of cosmology told by one of the foremost Theorists of the century. This is a beginner level book and it gets pretty deep pretty fast and is loaded with Mathematics.
5 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars The physics that brought us to the current state of cosmology.
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2022
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If you hav a degree in physics, this book is great. If not, stand down.
3 people found this helpful
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James Togeas
5.0 out of 5 stars Peebles and cosmology
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2021
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It's an amazing and important piece of research and scholarship.
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Kevin Rainville
1.0 out of 5 stars This Book is Formatted for the 1960s!
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2020
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This book will either prove or disprove your belief in God. Even Carl Sagan's humility would be challenged had he lived long enough to see so very many of his hypothetical postulates proven correct by CMB data mapping et. al. collected and clarified by teams of scientists like Peebles. And Peebles is the right human to share it with all us star gazers and church goers. But unfortunately, Princeton University Press WAS NOT the right medium for this exchange of knowledge! Don't buy the hardcover book, as even with my 20/40 vision the tiny, ancient font on 5" by 8" dull letterhead, makes the text virtually unreadable, captions are even worse. I purposely bought both the Kindle and Hardcover versions to help see equations and data plots better as I know Bezos won't let us read PDFs on his ebook products. But more shame on Princeton University Press, the book is not formatted for Kindle and DOES NOT EVEN DOWNLOAD to Kindle's latest generation Oasis 9th Generation white paper. Shame, shame, shame Kindle and Princeton University Press - I am so disappointed!
12 people found this helpful
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William Quinn
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed -- very boring
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2020
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Peebles forte seems to be assessing the numerical accuracy of various models with statistical tests. This makes for an extremely fussy and tedious book. Boy was I disappointed.
I am a (retired) scientist ant generally like books on this topic. Readers who want their intuition tickled, with maybe a little math, can try Steven Weinberg's "The First Three Minutes," Alan Guth's "The Inflationary Universe," or "Dark Matter Dark Energy" by Brian Clegg. They are fun. This is not.
33 people found this helpful
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Neil
1.0 out of 5 stars Font too small, I can’t read this book.
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2020
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This book is published in a very small font which I can’t read. Why doesn’t the publisher offer font size options? And can I get my money back?
15 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Nick
5.0 out of 5 stars noioso
Reviewed in Italy on April 12, 2024
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Peebles, grande astrofisico, ma noioso nello scrivere
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Juan Manuel Pérez Corral
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesante
Reviewed in Spain on May 23, 2021
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Para estudio
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Gunnar Henschen
5.0 out of 5 stars Anspruchsvolle Unterhaltung! Empfehlung.
Reviewed in Germany on January 29, 2021
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Das beste Kosmologiebuch seit vielen Jahren! Anspruchsvoll und unterhaltsam.
Für naturwissenschaftlich Interessierte sehr empfehlenswert!
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Besson
1.0 out of 5 stars impossible to download
Reviewed in France on August 31, 2020
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Apparently not compatible with my model of kindle; also impossible to download on my computer. Too bad Amazon tells you this only after you have purchased! Had no choice but to return the product.
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Afinn
2.0 out of 5 stars Non indispensabile
Reviewed in Italy on May 14, 2022
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Il libro contiene una grande quantità di informazioni sullo sviluppo della cosmologia a partire da inizio novecento, divise per tema di ricerca ed esposte in modo abbastanza noioso. Servirebbe giusto per consultazione, se l'indice analitico, lungo appena cinque pagine, riportasse tutti i nomi, anziché solo i principali. Inoltre i caratteri assurdamente piccoli rendono la lettura difficoltosa: non c'è un controllo di qualità alla Princeton University Press?
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