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“The extraordinary story of the Universe and our journey to understand it is
not an easy one to tell to the general public. But because it is the story that
binds us all together, it is important to tell it in myriad ways to reach as
many people as possible. The Edge of the
Sky is an inventive, enjoyable, and thought-provoking contribution to that
effort.”
— Nature
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“[A] surprisingly clear, and often poetic, primer on
such complicated topics as the big bang, dark energy, and the possibility of
multiverses.”
— Scientific American
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“The idea behind this book…is to explain everything we know about the
world using only the ten hundred most used words. This is much harder than it
sounds because a lot of the words that people who study our world (and all that
is outside it) like to use are ones that not many people use very much.”
— Physics World
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“In less capable hands, this experiment could
backfire and become confusing rather than charming. In Trotta’s, ordinary words
are bent and spun to achieve extraordinary results. He uses his self-imposed
limits to find new ways to describe reality…One of the pleasures of the book is
the way it grounds distant places or obscure concepts in homely language…Another
is the little surprises that pop up in Trotta’s sentences, which detonate like
scientific Zen koans…[A] playful, elegant little story.”
— Columbus Dispatch
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“Trotta’s deft word choices quickly draw the reader into a surprisingly
vivid alternate reality where student-persons (scientists) strive to pierce the
mysteries of the All-There-Is: the universe….[T]he spare writing is elegant,
even poetic. Literary experiments tend either to work or to flail with
awkwardness; in Trotta’s hands, this beautifully written book, with its limited
vocabulary, soars.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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“A simplified but by no
means simplistic introduction to modern cosmology and physics…An entertaining exercise,
in the end, for those student-people who like to ponder the All-There-Is while
testing the always-inadequate limits of language.”
— Kirkus Reviews
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“Bronson Pinchot’s superb performance showcases what turns out
to be a charming masterpiece of scientific storytelling. Pinchot introduces
listeners to the 1,000 most commonly used words. His recitation takes on the
quality of poetry, with its changing meter and playful inflections. Who knew a
list could be so enchanting? From there, the story of all-there-is unfolds, and
Pinchot’s careful narration brings Trotta’s creative wordplay to life so that
listeners quickly learn to translate simple words into complex concepts. A
treat for the imagination worthy of repeat listens. Winner of AudioFile
Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
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“How many different chords must you know before you
can appreciate a symphony? How many different brush strokes must you master
before you can appreciate a painting? How many different words do you need to
use to appreciate the wonders of the universe? Roberto Trotta claims just one
thousand and bravely put pen to paper to try and prove it in this enjoyable
short volume.”
— Lawrence M. Krauss, foundation professor and director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University
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“Cosmology and astrophysics are confusing at the
best of times. But, against all the quantum odds, Dr. Roberto Trotta has
managed to explain the topics using just one thousand unique words. Readers of The Edge of the Sky will be treated to a
delightful, poetic journey into our world, other worlds, and beyond without
ever feeling like their vocabulary is holding them back. And yet that is not
this book’s greatest achievement. More impressive than the linguistic poetry
and more profound than the hard science herein is the overwhelming sense of awe
and wonder this book gifts the reader.”
— Stephen Follows, writer and film producer
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“A wonder-full not-afraid story-telling try-it-and-see, about
big-sky-study of today with only the ten-hundred most used words. Very
not-usual, most good. Fun, too. Buy now!”
— Ian Stewart, mathematics professor emeritus, University of Warwick, and author of Visions of Infinity
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“In a style akin to magical realism, Roberto Trotta tells the story of the cosmos—an engaging and informative book.”
— Arthur I. Miller, author of Colliding Worlds: How Cutting-Edge Science Is Redefining Contemporary Art
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“It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand
words, but this unique book reverses that old adage by employing only the thousand
most commonly used English words to paint a wonderfully vivid picture of the
story of our universe. The Edge of the
Sky contains a compelling, almost poetic account of cosmology, encompassing
the Big Bang, dark matter, dark energy, the Higgs boson, and much more and is
presented in a manner that will be accessible to all. This book is a must-read
for anyone interested in learning about our universe, from here to the Edge of
the Sky and beyond.”
— Mike Hobson, professor of astrophysics, University of Cambridge
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“In this unusual and engaging book, short in length
but long in ideas, Roberto Trotta uncovers the mysteries of the universe, from
the Big Bang (‘Big Flash’) to the dark energy (‘dark push’), in a highly
original and understandable way. Once I started reading, I could not put the
book down.”
— Carlos S. Frenk, Ogden Professor of Fundamental Physics, director of the Institute for Computational Cosmology, Durham University
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“The Edge of
the Sky ranges from exoplanets, through dark matter and dark energy and even
supersymmetry…without any technical words. Speaking as someone who works on the
‘Big Ring’ in the ‘city in a land full of safe places to put your money in’:
this is big fun, and amazing that so much can be said in so few words.”
— Jonathan Butterworth, professor of physics, University College London
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“The Edge of
the Sky is a highly original book, which explains the foundations and the
latest discoveries and ideas in astronomy: from planets and life elsewhere in
the universe to dark energy and the multiverse. Roberto Trotta, a leading
cosmologist from Imperial College London, has managed to achieve this by only
using fewer than the thousand most common words of the English language. This
is an inspiring book for everyone.”
— Ofer Lahav, Perren Professor of Astronomy, University College London
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“Jargon is a perpetual problem in communicating
frontier science to a general audience: everyday specialists are so immersed in
their specialized argot that we cease to be aware of the barrier it creates. I
therefore applaud this attempt to describe the current state of cosmology in
the most stripped-down language possible. The result is transparent, and also
full of marvelously vivid turns of phrase, such as ‘Mr. Einstein’s Dark Push.’
Definitely an original and distinctive addition to the literature in this
area.”
— John Peacock FRS, professor of cosmology, University of Edinburgh
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“A tale as beautiful as the great spiritual stories—with
the difference that this one is built on a solid foundation of fact.”
— David J. Hand, mathematics professor emeritus, Imperial College London, and author of The Improbability Principle
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“A delightful little gem for adults and children
alike that leads you on a unique journey with its hypnotic, disarming prose.
There are many books that attempt to creatively explain the universe in simple
terms; this is one of the few that succeeds.”
— Bruce Bassett, head of cosmology at the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences, professor of applied mathematics at the University of Cape Town, and author of Introducing Relativity
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“Enjoyable…[Trotta’s] extremely original approach
conveys all the information with the most minimalistic use of language. I
highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the latest
discoveries about our universe within the framework of an ‘avant-garde’ and
experimental writing style.”
— Raul Jimenez, professor of theoretical physics and astrophysics, University of Barcelona
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“Roberto Trotta’s clever metaphors illuminate dark
matter and dark energy. This book is a delightful, poetic, and informative read
about all there is in the universe.”
— Edward Frenkel, professor of mathematics, University of California, Berkeley, and author of Love and Math
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“The Edge of
the Sky is an enthralling read that turns on its head the conventional (and
in my view thoroughly misguided) wisdom that complicated scientific ideas can
only be described using complicated language. Roberto Trotta takes the reader
on a fascinating and entertaining journey through the very latest discoveries
in astrophysics and cosmology, using only the thousand most common English
words but never compromising on the clarity and detail of his scientific
descriptions. The Edge of the Sky
captures with child-like wonder the mysteries of the cosmos in language
accessible to everyone, making it eminently suitable for children of all ages!”
— Martin Hendry, professor of astrophysics, University of Glasgow