Secrets of the Universe Author:Paul Murdin Publisher: Thames & Hudson ISBN:978-0-500-25155-3 Price: £24.95 (Hb), 341pp
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This book was printed and bound in China and is of remarkable quality in both of these aspects. As a result it is rather heavy when compared to most western productions, although the contents are unaffected in this respect. Profusely illustrated in colour with some excellent photographs and diagrams, the text moves smoothly from local matters – the Earth, Moon and other planets – to stars, nebulae and galaxies, emphasising the discoveries by which we began to understand them. Each section begins with a brief history and proceeds to the modern view so that all can be read separately without waiting for the contents of a later section to provide back-up. The final chapters cover the ways in which we have approached cosmology and again provide an assessment of how well or otherwise we have come to understand it.

With an author as distinguished and experienced as Paul Murdin we should not be surprised at the number of anecdotes and stories he provides which give an appreciation of the life of a professional astronomer in relatively recent times. This book will not be read in a day or even a week but it will provide good reading for some considerable time, especially as it avoids mathematical approaches which keeps it accessible to the general reader. It offers excellent value at the quoted price and I can do no more than strongly recommend it.

Bill Barlow