Carl Sagan

In Cosmos, the late astronomer Carl Sagan cast his gaze over the magnificent mystery of the Universe and made it accessible to millions of people around the world. Now in this stunning sequel, Carl Sagan completes his revolutionary journey through space and time. Future generations will look back on our epoch as the time when the human race finally broke into a radically new frontier--space. In Pale Blue Dot Sagan traces the spellbinding history of our launch into the cosmos and assesses the future that looms before us as we move out into our own solar system and on to distant galaxies beyond. The exploration and eventual settlement of other worlds is neither a fantasy nor luxury, insists Sagan, but rather a necessary condition for the survival of the human race.

In this, his last book, Sagan applies what we know of science, mathematics, and space to everyday life, as well as to the exploration of many essential questions concerning the environment and our future. Ranging far and wide in subject matter, he takes his readers on a soaring journey, from the invention of chess to the possibility of life on Mars, from "Monday Night Football" to the relationship between the United States and Russia, from global warming to the abortion debate. And, on a more intimate note, we are given a rare glimpse of the author himself as he movingly describes his valiant fight for his life, his love for his family, and his personal beliefs about death and God.

"First contact" between humans and aliens has been a prominent topic of science fiction since its inception, but arguably no one has presented a more fascinating exploration of that theme than beloved astronomer Carl Sagan in this, his one and only novel. Sagan, who spent much of his professional career arguing for the likelihood of the existence of alien species, imagines an entirely rational scenario wherein an interstellar race reaches out to humanity through the universal language of mathematics. Eleanor "Ellie" Arroway uses radio telescopes to monitor the skies for signs of a transmission, and when she deducts a string of prime numbers hidden within a transcription of supposedly random noise, she recognizes it as a sign of intelligence. As Ellie digs further into the mysterious sequence, she discovers a set of instructions for building a spacecraft which she believes may enable her to visit with whoever sent the message. Though Ellie's unlikely plan eventually seems to come to fruition, she is unable to convince anyone that her spectacular encounter with an alien life form actually happened, and soon finds herself accused of engineering an intergalactic deception.

Disturbingly, in our so-called information age, pseudoscience is burgeoning, with alien abduction, "channeling" past lives, and communal hallucinations commanding growing attention and respect. In this compellingly brilliant new book, Carl Sagan argues that this is not just a cultural wrong turn, but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms. Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks modern pseudoscience, as well as such celebrated fallacies of the past as witchcraft, faith healing, demons, and UFOs. By doing so, he demonstrates that true scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth, but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions.

If NASA ever decides to launch a book into outer space as a token of our knowledge and an offering of good will to our interstellar neighbors, Carl Sagan's celestial opus would probably be the best choice. Widely acclaimed as the bestselling science book of all time, Sagan's discerning analysis of humanity's place in the incomprehensibly vast universe, first published in 1980, has begun to show its age in certain areas where new discoveries have been made, but Sagan's biggest ideas remain as relevant and revelatory as ever. With infectious enthusiasm and tremendous lucidity, Sagan explains how the universe (as we know it) has formed since the Big Bang, paying extra special attention to our "little" nook on the Orion Arm of the Milky Way. Sagan provides a stellar dose of perspective by simultaneously stressing our apparent insignificance in the face of such size and splendor and celebrating our ability to appreciate and even understand some of the seemingly miraculous processes and consequences which have compiled over time to allow for our existence.

The best-selling science book ever published in the English language, COSMOS is a magnificent overview of the past, present, and future of science. Brilliant and provocative, it traces today's knowledge and scientific methods to their historical roots, blending science and philosophy in a wholly energetic and irresistible way.

"A glorious book . . . A spirited defense of science . . . From the first page to the last, this book is a manifesto for clear thought." *Los Angeles Times"POWERFUL . . . A stirring defense of informed rationality. . . Rich in surprising information and beautiful writing." *The Washington Post Book WorldHow can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don't understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Pulitzer Prize-winning author and distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions.Casting a wide net through history and culture, Sagan examines and authoritatively debunks such celebrated fallacies of the past as witchcraft, faith healing, demons, and UFOs. And yet, disturbingly, in today's so-called information age, pseudoscience is burgeoning with stories of alien abduction, channeling past lives, and communal hallucinations commanding growing attention and respect. As Sagan demonstrates with lucid eloquence, the siren song of unreason is not just a cultural wrong turn but a dangerous plunge into darkness that threatens our most basic freedoms."COMPELLING." *USA Today"A clear vision of what good science means and why it makes a difference. . . . A testimonial to the power of science and a warning of the dangers of unrestrained credulity." *The Sciences"PASSIONATE." *San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle

Carl Sagan's prophetic vision of the tragic resurgence of fundamentalism and the hope-filled potential of the next great development in human spirituality The late great astronomer and astrophysicist describes his personal search to understand the nature of the sacred in the vastness of the cosmos. Exhibiting a breadth of intellect nothing short of astounding, Sagan presents his views on a wide range of topics, including the likelihood of intelligent life on other planets, creationism and so-called intelligent design, and a new concept of science as "informed worship." Originally presented at the centennial celebration of the famous Gifford Lectures in Scotland in 1985 but never published, this book offers a unique encounter with one of the most remarkable minds of the twentieth century.

"FASCINATING . . . MEMORABLE . . . REVEALING . . . PERHAPS THE BEST OF CARL SAGAN'S BOOKS."--The Washington Post Book World (front page review)In Cosmos, the late astronomer Carl Sagan cast his gaze over the magnificent mystery of the Universe and made it accessible to millions of people around the world. Now in this stunning sequel, Carl Sagan completes his revolutionary journey through space and time.Future generations will look back on our epoch as the time when the human race finally broke into a radically new frontier--space. In Pale Blue Dot Sagan traces the spellbinding history of our launch into the cosmos and assesses the future that looms before us as we move out into our own solar system and on to distant galaxies beyond. The exploration and eventual settlement of other worlds is neither a fantasy nor luxury, insists Sagan, but rather a necessary condition for the survival of the human race."TAKES READERS FAR BEYOND Cosmos . . . Sagan sees humanity's future in the stars."--Chicago Tribune