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How It Began: A Time-Traveler's Guide to the Universe Audiobook
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(3.00) - 50 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In this vibrant, eye-opening tour of milestones in the history of our universe, Chris Impey guides us through space and time, leading us from the familiar sights of the night sky to the dazzlingly strange aftermath of the Big Bang.
What if we could look into space and see not only our place in the universe but also how we came to be here? As it happens, we can. Because it takes time for light to travel, we see more and more distant regions of the universe as they were in the successively greater past. Impey uses this concept—"look-back time"—to take us on an intergalactic tour that is simultaneously out in space and back in time. Performing a type of cosmic archaeology, Impey brilliantly describes the astronomical clues that scientists have used to solve fascinating mysteries about the origins and development of our universe.
The milestones on this journey range from the nearby to the remote: We travel from the Moon, Jupiter, and the black hole at the heart of our galaxy all the way to the first star, the first ray of light, and even the strange, roiling conditions of the infant universe, an intense and volatile environment in which matter was created from pure energy. Impey gives us breathtaking visual descriptions and also explains what each landmark can reveal about the universe and its history. His lucid, wonderfully engaging scientific discussions bring us to the brink of modern cosmology and physics, illuminating such mind-bending concepts as invisible dimensions, timelessness, and multiple universes.
A dynamic and unforgettable portrait of the cosmos, How It Began will reward its listeners with a deeper understanding of the universe we inhabit as well as a renewed sense of wonder at its beauty and mystery.
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“The universe is a big place. It’s not easy to pack it all into a single book. Chris Impey takes on this difficult task with gusto, starting in the vicinity of the Earth and gradually moving outwards to the edge of the cosmos. This is a compelling story of science and the human faces behind it.”
— Sean Carroll, author of From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time
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“A mesmerizing journey…Impey vividly illustrates the most complex topics…making cosmology pleasurable to all readers.”
— Publishers Weekly -
What will especially impress [listeners] is just how entertaining Impey can make science as he regales them with his own piquant experiences as a researcher and translates arcane mathematics into metaphors drawn from everyday life.
— Booklist Starred Review -
“Chris Impey has achieved the near-impossible: an accurate, up-to-date account of ‘the state of the universe’ that is told in gripping human terms. A great achievement and a ‘must-read’ book.”
— Ben Bova, author of Faint Echoes, Distant Stars
How It Began Listener Reviews
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" The science was informative. Also liked the biographical sketches of the astronomers. I could have done without the "eye witness" journey in each chapter. "
— Leigh, 11/20/2012 -
" An interesting read, but at times seems to jump around quickly. Only scratches the surface of the topics of the universe, but makes a great snapshot of what we know about the cosmos and the universe. "
— Mark, 6/10/2012
About Chris Impey
Chris Impey is a distinguished professor at the University of Arizona. In addition to his critically acclaimed books How It Began and How It Ends, he has written two astronomy textbooks and has won many teaching awards. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.
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.