What Shape Is Space? (a Primer For The 21st Century)

By (author) Sparrow Giles; Edited by Taylor, Matthew
Short description/annotation
One of four titles in Thames & Hudson’s innovative new ‘Big Idea’ series, this well-informed and lucid book takes a comprehensive look at the incredible ideas and possibilities born from the simple question, ‘What shape is space?’
Description
The Big Idea shortlisted for series design in the British Design and Production Awards

What Shape is Space? is a question with surprisingly far-reaching implications for our understanding of the very nature of reality and our place within it. The concepts involved may be sophisticated, but Giles Sparrow’s effortless prose style easily renders them understandable, allowing readers to get to grips with the overarching debates at the cutting edge of cosmology today. Infographics, diagrams and astronomical visualizations illustrate and clarify the various astonishing implications of a universe of infinite space.
Table of contents
Introduction: Does Space Have a Shape? • 1. Mapping Space • 2. The Expanding Universe • 3. The Omega Factor • 4. The Shape of the Multiverse • Conclusion: Life, the Multiverse and Everything
Review quote
''A kind of choose-your-own-adventure using fonts: paragraphs are set in type of differing sizes depending on their importance'' - The Bookseller
Review quote
''Engaging … there is a great deal to recommend about Sparrow’s book for those wanting an approachable primer to this hugely complex question'' - BBC Sky at Night
Review quote
''An invaluable resource … The explanations are clear, inspiring and memorable, and the information laid out in an easy-to-follow narrative. Definitely recommended'' - SF2 Concatenation
Biographical note
Giles Sparrow is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, and author of many books, including the bestselling Cosmos and Mars: A New View of the Red Planet. Matthew Taylor is Chief Executive of the RSA, a 250-year old British institution devoted to enriching society through ideas and action to deliver a 21st-century enlightenment. A writer, public speaker and broadcaster, he has written widely on policy, politics, public service reform and cultural theory, and frequently appears on Newsnight, The Daily Politics, and Radio 4’s Today and The Moral Maze. He was previously General Secretary and Chief Executive of the Institute for Public Policy Research, Britain’s leading think tank.
Promotional headline
Part of Thames & Hudson’s innovative new ‘Big Idea’ series, this well-informed and lucid book takes a comprehensive look at the incredible ideas and possibilities born from the simple question, ‘What shape is space?’