Listen to The Space Show interview with Ian.

From Atomic Physics to Astronomy - Made Simple
Out of this world graphics - All in full color

No one knows how the universe will end - but we do have a pretty good idea how it started.  Everyone is familiar with the "Big Bang" theory, but most of us are a little vague as to the details.  In a similar manner, we all know the name Albert Einstein; he's the one who invented Relativity, which we all know about, but are perhaps a little hard pressed to describe in any detail.

To the rescue comes The Simple Universe.  This is a book for average people (that's you and me).  We've all been led to believe that in order to understand
science you need a high forehead and a shirt pocket full of writing implements.  But, that's not really true.  This book walks you through it, from atomic physics right through to astronomy, with colorful graphics and understandable text.  The authors have shown us that the universe is indeed understandable (Einstein called it "comprehensible," and we won't argue with him).

Modern physics has undertaken a dedicated search for a theory that will knit relativity and quantum theory into one unified field theory.  In other words, the search is on for a set of physical laws that will account for the behavior of both atoms and whole galaxies.  This would be a "Unified Field Theory," also called the "Theory of Everything" (TOE).  This book will show you, in everyday language, both the known
factors and the unknowns waiting to be answered.

The authors have also undertaken to enlighten us by providing the historical context of the quest to understand our universe.  They have even addressed the issues of Creationism versus Science, showing us that there is really no conflict involved.  This and much more are logically presented in The Simple Universe, even such startling concepts as multiple universes, all in a way that anyone can understand.

If you have an interest in understanding the universe, The Simple Universe is a good place to start because it takes a complex subject and makes it completely understandable.