Cosmos

Each chapter follows a theme from the television series. Sagan begins on the shores of the cosmic ocean and tells how the ancient Greek scholar Eratosthenes measured the size of the Earth using shadows and simple geometry. He explains evolution with the story of Japanese crabs whose shells resemble warriors' faces, follows Johannes Kepler as he struggles to understand the orbits of the planets, and explores the history of the great library of Alexandria.

Later chapters move outward: Venus and its crushing atmosphere, the mystery of Mars and the Viking landers, the Voyager spacecraft passing Jupiter and Saturn, the life and death of stars, black holes, and the vast distances between galaxies. Sagan considers how likely it is that intelligent life exists elsewhere and what communication with it might mean. Throughout he stresses the value of evidence and skepticism, and in the final chapters he reflects on the dangers humanity faces, including nuclear weapons, and the responsibility that comes with knowledge. The newer edition has a foreword by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Lyrical and accessible, a modern classic of science writing. About 432 pages in the Ballantine paperback.