jasminl's review against another edition
4.0
This is an excellent introduction to basic concepts and theories of cosmology. The chapters are short and very clearly written. Some parts felt too detailed for me (I have no experience in these subjects) but they were not too long so I could just skip a few pages. Four stars because this needs an update.
tregina's review against another edition
3.0
I'm one of those people who likes to know a little bit about a lot of things, so I have several Very Short Introductions that I'm gradually getting around to reading.
Despite being a book for the layman, I still felt like the maths and concepts in the book were just a little over my head, which is really what I get for trying to jump right into cosmology and the functioning of the universe without all the intermediate steps. It's also a living field with new developments all the time, so the fact that the book's over ten years old means even I knew enough to know that parts of it were out of date now, inevitably.
I know a little bit more about cosmology now than I did when I started, though, and that was all I wanted, so I'd say the book succeeded at what it set out to do.
Despite being a book for the layman, I still felt like the maths and concepts in the book were just a little over my head, which is really what I get for trying to jump right into cosmology and the functioning of the universe without all the intermediate steps. It's also a living field with new developments all the time, so the fact that the book's over ten years old means even I knew enough to know that parts of it were out of date now, inevitably.
I know a little bit more about cosmology now than I did when I started, though, and that was all I wanted, so I'd say the book succeeded at what it set out to do.
tregina's review
3.0
I'm one of those people who likes to know a little bit about a lot of things, so I have several Very Short Introductions that I'm gradually getting around to reading.
Despite being a book for the layman, I still felt like the maths and concepts in the book were just a little over my head, which is really what I get for trying to jump right into cosmology and the functioning of the universe without all the intermediate steps. It's also a living field with new developments all the time, so the fact that the book's over ten years old means even I knew enough to know that parts of it were out of date now, inevitably.
I know a little bit more about cosmology now than I did when I started, though, and that was all I wanted, so I'd say the book succeeded at what it set out to do.
Despite being a book for the layman, I still felt like the maths and concepts in the book were just a little over my head, which is really what I get for trying to jump right into cosmology and the functioning of the universe without all the intermediate steps. It's also a living field with new developments all the time, so the fact that the book's over ten years old means even I knew enough to know that parts of it were out of date now, inevitably.
I know a little bit more about cosmology now than I did when I started, though, and that was all I wanted, so I'd say the book succeeded at what it set out to do.
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