Cosmos (original 1980; edition 1980)

This is a book about the history and basic concepts of science--and above all about wonder and the “exploration” of the “cosmic perspective.” We get a guided tour through the solar system and beyond. The back of the book boasts this is “one of the best-selling science books in the English language” and we’re told its companion 13-part television series, which aired in 1980, was “the most widely watched series in the history of American public television.” In the 1984 introduction Sagan tells us that “the book and the television series evolved together;” the 13 chapters of the book correspond to the 13 episodes of the series. A book however, allowed Sagan to go “more deeply into many topics.” This isn’t simply the script to the series--it’s much more; it’s own entity.

Sagan says in the 1984 introduction to the book that little of the science in the few years since had become “obsolete” despite “new findings.” Over two decades has gone past since and I’d say from what I know that’s still true--of the science. His politics, mostly hammered upon in the last chapter, struck me as not just preachy and out of place but in its moral equivalency of the old Soviet Union and the United States as dangerously naive as the Noninterventionist "America First" Movement that sought to appease Hitler. If today global warming is all the rage, Sagan’s bete noir then was the prospect of a nuclear winter. Sagan can also be “scientist-centric” in ways that sometimes annoyed me, as when he complained that our consumer culture is cluttering the radio waves which he needs to seek extraterrestrial life! In any case, the Soviets are a thing of the past, and what annoyed outweighed by what was enjoyed.

And even if some of its facts are no longer true--Pluto, for instance, being demoted from a planet (and little here involving quantum mechanics)--I’d say there’s still some value in the book in sparking an interest and understanding of science. Sagan isn’t just lucid, with the ability to make an ordinary person understand difficult concepts and immense scales (although not even he, Hawking or Einstein can make Relativity explicable to me) but he can write poetic prose that inspires awe in the workings of the universe. And I do find some of his social speculations interesting--for instance the possible connection between slavery, the mind/body estrangement promoted by philosophers such as Plato and the extinguishing of the incipient scientific revolution of the Hellenistic Age. One major caveat though is that if you buy it, do so in trade paperback or hardcover form. Not only does the mass market paperback stint on the spectacular photographs included in those editions, it features eye-killing tiny font. Although truth to tell, I loved Sagan’s Dragons of Eden and The Demon-Haunted World a lot more than Cosmos. Maybe because in the end, too much of the material in Cosmos was already familiar to me. And given the intervening years dating much of the material, I'd recommend books by Hawking, Bill Bryson or Brian Greene on this theme over Cosmos. ( )

Quite a dense book that took me longer than expected to finish. The first hundred pages or so were the real hurdle; afterward, the book was truly very enjoyable. I'd like to now read a select few of the many titles in the Bibliography. Even though this book is from 1980, it doesn't feel dated by any means, and Sagan really seems to be a true scholar. He's especially worried that we'll destroy ourselves as a race if we don't buckle down and concentrate on what's important. ( )

The book follows the 13 episode series in content. Nevertheless, I believe that this is a worthy read even for those that have watched every episode of Cosmos. The book allows Sagan to go into a bit more detail on certain topics (e.g. the planetary orbits in our solar system). Yet there are many insights in the series that were not present in the book.

I suppose what it comes down to is this: although the series and the book are very closely aligned, they are not in perfect alignment. Something can be gained from the book that is not available in the series, and vice versa. A true Sagan fan should embrace both. ( )

Dated but very worthwhile. I particularly liked the chapter on the persistence of memory. ( )

I remember this PBS series from when I was a kid. The shots of space and interviews with well spoken scientists stuck with me as I grew up and had a continued casual interest in physics and astronomy. While neither of these academic disciplines were ever my strong suit I still like to read up on the Hubble Space Telescope and whatever NASA is up to these days.

Sagan's companion to the TV series goes much further than what I remember. I did not expect the spiritual direction in which he takes the big ideas in science that he presents. The book presents the love of science that has driven humanity to continue to ask questions of the universe around us. I found this book to be as informative in its exploration of learning and inquiry as it is about the actual findings concerning the universe. It presents a truly awesome view of the universe that even delves into the way that we can use our knowledge of the physical world to live better social and spiritual lives. Good freakin' stuff! ( )