The Universe and Beyond by Terence Dickinson , Edward G. Gibson Search Amazon for other books by or about Terence Dickinson. Rating: Reviewed by: David Smillie

Another astronomy book. Another book filled with glorious pictures of planets, moons and stars, along with simple explanations of how the universe works. What sets this one apart? Well, for starters, it's the best astronomy book out there. Terrence Dickinson's "The Universe and Beyond", is now out in its third edition, and it's simply a magnificent look at the universe (and beyond--but more on that later).

So what makes this book so good? For starters, the pictures are glorious; everything from backyard astronomy shots, to the best from the Hubble space telescope. And unlike a lot of books, Dickinson doesn't expect the pictures to speak for themselves. Instead, the captions that go with the pictures do an excellent job of describing exactly what we're seeing, and why it looks that way. (If I have one minor quibble it's that often the captions recapitulate the text verbatim, but it's a minor quibble.)

Okay, so it has a lot of pretty pictures. Anything else? Well, an extremely accessible (without being simplistic) explanation of everything from how the universe began, to how it will (likely) end. Everything is up to date, as current as possible for a book to be in this age of rapidly-changing information. Dickinson doesn't just explain what scientists think happened, he takes the time to explain what they used to think happened, and what changed their minds. So we get a glimpse of the evolution of a science.

And Dickinson brings a tremendous style to his writing. He's been an astronomer and astronomy writer for decades, and his experience shows. He brings a real passion to his writing, which flavors everything in the book. From the simplest explanation of the moon's orbit, to an explanation of supernovas, the style is consistently crisp, clear, and intensely enjoyable.

But what about the "and Beyond" promised in the title? Well, unlike many astronomy writers, Dickinson gives himself free rein to indulge in a little speculation. So we get a glimpse into the possibility of multiple universes, the possibility of alien life, and alien contact. This makes it a well-rounded presentation of the "state of the art" in astronomy.

For anyone interested in space, from beginning astronomer to someone who's just fascinated by the pretty pictures from Hubble, this is the book to put everything in perspective. I can't recommend it highly enough.