Books
Science,
Science Fiction & the Galaxy
Ultimate
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams
The Random House Publishing Group: April 2002
This is
in paperback--one complete volume of five classic novels from
Douglas Adams's beloved Hitchhiker series. The Hitchhiker's
Guide to the Galaxy: Seconds before the Earth is demolished
for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is saved by Ford Prefect,
a researcher for the revised Guide. Together they stick out
their thumbs to the stars and begin a wild journey through
time and space. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe:
Facing annihilation at the hands of warmongers is a curious
time to crave tea. It could only happen to the cosmically
displaced Arthur Dent and his comrades as they hurtle across
the galaxy in a desperate search for a place to eat. Life,
the Universe and Everything: The unhappy inhabitants of planet
Krikkit are sick of looking at the night sky so they plan
to destroy it. The universe, that is. Now only five individuals
can avert Armageddon: mild-mannered Arthur Dent and his stalwart
crew. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish: Back on Earth,
Arthur Dent is ready to believe that the past eight years
were all just a figment of his stressed-out imagination. But
a gift-wrapped fishbowl with a cryptic inscription conspires
to thrust him back to reality. Mostly Harmless: Just when
Arthur Dent makes the terrible mistake of starting to enjoy
life, all hell breaks loose. Can he save the Earth from total
obliteration?
The
Hand of God
Michael Reagan (Editor)
Templeton Foundation Press; September 2001
The
Hand of God combines inspiration for the mind and spirit by
juxtaposing majestic photographs of the cosmos next to illuminating
words of scientists, poets, and theologians. It was once believed
that to look into the heavens was to look into the face of
God. The first Hubble telescope images from space, which appeared
in 1990, confirmed that sentiment in ways beyond imagination.
These eerily luminous landscapes, splendid with color and
motion, gave us a glimpse into the outermost reaches of the
universea vast, unexplored realm where spiraling galaxies
cartwheeled, nebulae shimmered, and stars were born. Throughout
history, scientists and theologians, artists and writers,
poets and philosophers have struggled eloquently to make sense
of the universe and God's part in it. Together the images
in The Hand of God and the accompanying reflections encourage
a sense of awe and, perhaps, purpose in an age often hostile
to both.
The
Universe and Beyond
Terence Dickinson
Firefly Books, Limited; October 2004
With an
enormous amount of new scientific information, coupled with
more than 100 new photographs and illustrations, award winning
astronomy writer Terence Dickinson takes the reader on an
up-to-date tour of the universe. With our expert guide, we
stroll the sands of Mars, float among Saturn's rings, observe
how one star is born and another dies, venture to planets
with two suns, and to "realms where black holes consume
nearby stars or swallow whole galaxies." The author journeys
back in time to the very origin of the universe and also discusses
scientific possibilities that other life forms in the universe
could "share our compulsion to know." Terence Dickinson
shares the wonders of the universe with the reader. Part of
that "wonder" is the immensitythe sheer vastness
of time, space, and age measurement involved in talking about
the cosmos. Dickinson puts this into perspective using a model.
Related to the mysteries of the cosmos is its destiny and
the author unveils an outline of the inevitable fate of our
ever-expanding universe.
Compiled
by: Sanyat Sattar
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