Play Audiobook Sample
About Time: Cosmology, Time and Culture at the Twilight of the Big Bang Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.08) - 91 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
The Big Bang is all but dead, and we do not yet know what will replace it. Our universe's "beginning" is at an end. What does this have to do with us here on Earth? Our lives are about to be dramatically shaken again—as altered as they were with the invention of the clock, the steam engine, the railroad, the radio and the Internet.
In About Time, Adam Frank explains how the texture of our lives changes along with our understanding of the universe's origin. Since we awoke to self-consciousness fifty thousand years ago, our lived experience of time—from hunting and gathering to the development of agriculture to the industrial revolution to the invention of Outlook calendars—has been transformed and rebuilt many times. But the latest theories in cosmology—time with no beginning, parallel universes, eternal inflation—are about to send us in a new direction.
Time is both our grandest and most intimate conception of the universe. Many books tell the story, recounting the progress of scientific cosmology. Frank tells the story of humanity's deepest question—when and how did everything begin?—alongside the story of how human beings have experienced time. He looks at the way our engagement with the world—our inventions, our habits and more—has allowed us to discover the nature of the universe and how those discoveries, in turn, inform our daily experience.
This astounding book will change the way we think about time and how it affects our lives.
Download and start listening now!
"I began this book because it was my son's recommendation. He warned that it bogged down in its last pages which it did. This book is a good scientific read. I will look at time differently. I seldom talk about the 'big boom' theory. This book will not change that."
— Mark (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“A phenomenal blend of science and cultural history.”
— Kirkus Reviews, starred review -
A phenomenal blend of science and cultural history.
— Kirkus Starred Review -
“A fascinating and comprehensive survey of how technology—from farming to railways to telegraphy to the internet—has changed our everyday concept of time. [Frank] is excellent at showing how our ideas of human and cosmic time have evolved hand-in-hand… Frank’s thesis that our notions of cosmic and human time are braided together is compelling.”
— New Scientist -
“An eloquent book.”
— Nature -
“Frank, cofounder of NPR’s 13.7: Cosmos & Culture blog and frequent contributor to Discover and Astronomy magazines, here endeavors to reconstruct our understanding of time—both what he calls human time and cosmological time—with the contention that we are poised for a new definition or experience of time. He begins by ushering readers from the prehistoric to the modern era, showing how the cycles of nature and the sky became integrated into human culture over time. Next, he discusses cosmological time and lays out his proposal for a new “order” of time. The narrative is punctuated with vignettes, some of them amusing, designed to highlight and enrich various points of the narrative. Vedict: this will fascinate anyone curious about the nexus of astronomy and history and, of course, time. Recommended.”
— Library Journal -
“‘Time’ is the most used noun in the English language, yet we still don’t really understand it. Adam Frank tells the fascinating story of how humans have struggled to make sense of time, especially in the context of the universe around us. From prehistory to the Enlightenment, through Einstein and on to the multiverse, this is a rich and inspiring tour through some of the biggest ideas that have ever been thought.”
— Sean Carroll, author of From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time
About Time Listener Reviews
-
" Interesting but really technical. Each chapter would start out ok, but the further in I got, the more my brain hurt. : ) "
— Lauren, 12/4/2013 -
" This was a fantastic read. The author takes us on a journey through the history of time and mankind's relationship to time and the universe. Beautiful, clearly understandable writing about some complex ideas. Highly recommended. "
— Glynn, 10/6/2013 -
" This book had some really interesting moments. It also had some of the most understandable descriptions of areas of physics that I've read, actually felt like I understood a little bit more. "
— Julianna, 9/25/2013 -
" Fascinating and engagingly written, perhaps the most personally interesting popular science book I've ever read. "
— Eli, 4/18/2013 -
" This book is just fantastic. "
— Marv, 9/17/2012
About Adam Frank
Adam Frank is professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester and a regular contributor to Discover and Astronomy magazines. He has also written for Scientific American and many other publications and is the cofounder of NPR’s 13:7 Cosmos & Culture blog. He was a Hubble Fellow and is the recipient of an American Astronomical Society Prize for his scientific writing.
About David Drummond
David Drummond has made his living as an actor for over twenty-five years, appearing on stages large and small throughout the country and in Seattle, Washington, his hometown. He has narrated over thirty audiobooks, in genres ranging from current political commentary to historical nonfiction, fantasy, military, thrillers, and humor. He received an AudioFile Earphones Award for his first audiobook, Love ’Em or Lose ’Em: Getting Good People to Stay. When not narrating, he keeps busy writing plays and stories for children.