Books similar to Sagan's "Cosmos"
 

I'm about a third of the way through Cosmos right now, and am enjoying every bit of it. I'm looking for some other books by Sagan or other authors that are similar. I've thought about reading Sagan's "The Demon Haunted World" soon, as well as Hawking's "A Brief History of Time." I see that Hawking also has a newish book out too, "The Theory of Everything". What else?

Brian

Hyperspace by Michio Kaku. Covers similar territory to "A Brief History of Time," but manages to be more entertaining.

Stephen Jay Gould's books of essays on natural history are very well-written, interesting, and very informative. Some of the titles include "Ever Since Darwin", "Bully for Brontosaurus", "Eight Little Piggies," and "The Panda's Thumb" (glancing at my bookshelf). Highly recommended.

Sagan's other books are also interesting; I liked "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors" and "The Dragons of Eden" as well.

You've read Contact, right? Yes, it's fiction but it's good and based in science-fact (well, most of it anyways), not like the move. Heh.

bdshort,

I'm a huge fan of science books myself and have all 3 books that you mention. Reading "A Brief History Of Time" should be a no-brainer for somebody interested in science. However, I'd STRONGLY reccommend getting the illustrated version if possible. It sounds rudimentary but it's the exact same content in the paperback, just with illustrations that make a lot of the ideas easier to visualize and understand (Feynman's shift theory comes to mind). There's also an illustrated version of "Cosmos" that serves as a great reference on astronomical science. "The Demon Haunted World" is less of a pure science book than it is a study of pseudoscience. Sagan discusses UFO's, the paranormal and psychic occurences and provides a scientific framework for their analysis and ultimately, their dismissal. Still a fascinating read, but don't expect it to be like "Cosmos". If you read "A Brief History of Time" and enjoy that then I'd also highly recommend "In Search of Schrodinger's Cat" and "Godel, Escher, Bach". Those three books form the triumvirate of must-read physics/mathematical literature.

Anyway, good luck and lemme know when you're ready for some more suggestions. :)

The Dancing Wu Li Masters - An Overview of the New Physcis by Gary Zukav is a wonderful book about physics which practically reads like a novel. Highly recommended.

The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene is another good read along the lines of Hawking's and Gribbin's works.

Mayniac