• About this Book
• About the Author
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• Table of Contents

Written by Marcia Bartusiak

• Format: Hardcover, 720 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon
• On Sale: November 23, 2004
• Price: $35.00
• ISBN: 978-0-375-42170-9 (0-375-42170-X)

about this book

An unparalleled history of astronomy told through 100 primary documents—from the Maya’s first recorded efforts to predict the cycles of Venus to the 1998 paper that posited an accelerating universe.

Award-winning science writer Marcia Bartusiak is a wonderfully compelling guide in this sweeping overview. Her authoritative, accessible commentaries on each document provide historical context and underscore the more intriguing and revolutionary aspects of the discoveries.

Here are records of the earliest naked-eye celestial observations and cosmic mappings; the discovery of planets; the first attempts to measure the speed of light and the distance of stars; the classification of stars; the introduction of radio and x-ray astronomy; the discovery of black holes, quasars, dark matter, the Big Bang, and much more. Here is the work of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, Halley, Hubble, and Einstein, as well as that of dozens of lesser-known scientists who have significantly contributed to our picture of the universe.

An enthralling, comprehensive history that spans more than two millennia—this is essential reading for professional astronomers, science history buffs, and backyard stargazers alike.

“It is a simple matter to piece together an anthology of source materials in the history of astronomy; it is altogether more difficult to do this well. Ms. Bartusiak's substantial volume is admirable.” —Michael Hoskin, Journal for the History of Astronomy


“Archives of the Universe is a stunning compendium of scientific thought through the centuries, in the original words of the thinkers themselves, with masterful introductions by Bartusiak. This is a treasure I will keep on my own shelf forever.” —Alan Lightman, author of Einstein’s Dreams

“Astronomy is one of the most vibrant and fast-advancing of modern sciences, but it is also a science with ancient roots. This book offers a unique chance to follow, with an expert guide, the key steps that have led to our current understanding of the cosmos. Marcia Bartusiak offers general readers a lucid commentary on a comprehensive and well-chosen anthology of scientific highlights.” —Martin Rees, professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Cambridge University, and author of Our Final Hour

“From the mouths of those who made it happen, Archives of the Universe takes the reader to the front lines of discovery-spinning the story of the evolution of the universe, and also the evolution of scientific styles. From Plato to the present day, scientists share their earliest insights into black holes and the big bang, gravity waves and curved space-time, how stars shine and the universe expands. Don't take my word for it: Take it from Brahe and Bethe, Eddington and Oppenheimer, Geller and Guth. Marcia Bartusiak is the perfect guide to this series of seminal papers, giving us a library-in-a-book that belongs on every astronomy-buff's bookshelf.” —K.C. Cole, author of Mind Over Matter: Conversations with the Cosmos