Rating: 
Summary: Science made Poetry.
Review: "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan is by far one of the most influential non-fiction books I have ever read, with "Demon-Haunted World" and Stephen Hawkings' "A Brief History of Time" as the other two.70% of the world's population evade science for one of three reasons: 1) Its complexity. 2) Its lack of entertainment. 3)Its cold indifference, lack of magic and beauty. But anyone who understands science slightly will know none of these things are real! Science is the quest of knowledge and truth, objective truth, not a subjective view that depends solely on the state of mind of the observer. Those who try to solve a mathematical problem or tried to determine the variables and constants of a physical phenomena (conservation of angular momentum, gravity,) know the beauty behind one of the most noble activities of the human being. If Isaac Newton and Edgar Allan Poe talked about the Universe, I beat my Mind they would share many points in common. A great mind expanding book by on of the very best science authors/memorable figures of modern history, Carl Sagan.
Rating:
Summary: A popular review of space science
Review: Although I read this book some ten year ago (at that time I was only 11 years old!) it still continues to fascinating me! Carl Sagan, one of the world's most famous astronomers (may his soul rest in peace), made, with this book, something that would no one else will be able to do: to bring the space science to every home, to every human being! With simple and very interesting language and style he describes the Solar system, from its early days to its end in the next couple of billions, its exploration with robotic probes (Voyager and Viking missions), developing of life on Earth, he thinks of possible life on other planets (Mars and Jupiter).He made the reader to think of stars, evolution of stars, galaxies, quassars and even of black holes! This book is full of exciting pictures of new worlds: from our Solar system to distant nebulas - these pictures will make you wish to be imortal, just to see it with you own eyes! The book is fully recomended.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Book!!
Review: This book was brilliant. Sagan had a way of explaining science to young students and making it meaningful. We need more teachers like Carl in the future. It will be good for the country. Jeffrey McAndrew
author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"
Rating:
Summary: Teaching the comparative idiots
Review: The late Carl Sagen had a wonderful way of relating his apparent knowledge of everything into a form that comparative idiots can understand. His genius appears to be, not just his ability to formulate the evalution of the cosmos into something understandable to himself, but into a book understandable to those of us with IQs less than was his 150-plus. I've read this book a couple of times, as well as "A Brief History Of Time" by Stephen Hawking. Both books are wonderful in the authors' attempts to share their enthusiasm of science and physics, but the difference is Sagen's ability to simplify the topic for the common intellect. Hawking either seems unable to to so, or is tackling subject matter much too difficult for the general public. Not so for Sagen... AND Perhaps even now a life-form on another planet across a hundred billion stars from Earth is observing our planet as it appeared in the past, in a better time when the great Carl Sagen lived among us.
Rating:
Summary: A popular review of space science
Review: Although I read this book some ten year ago (at that time I was only 11 years old!) it still continues to fascinating me! Carl Sagan, one of the world's most famous astronomers
(may his soul rest in peace), made, with this book, something
that would no one else will be able to do: to bring the space
science to every home, to every human being! With simple and
very interesting language and style he describes the Solar system, from its early days to its end in the next couple of
billions, its exploration with robotic probes (Voyager and Viking missions), developing of life on Earth, he thinks of
possible life on other planets (Mars and Jupiter).He made the reader to think of stars, evolution of stars, galaxies,
quassars and even of black holes! This book is full of exciting pictures of new worlds: from our Solar system to distant nebulas - these pictures will make you wish to be imortal, just to see it with you own eyes! The book is fully recomended.
Rating: 
Summary: an atheist's quagmire...
Review: (3/16/2004) My earlier review was written a while ago. If you are interested in Man's origins, then go to astronomer Hugh Ross' website "Reasons To Believe" (simply type in the keywords Reasons To Believe into any search engine). ------------
I was a teenager in India when I watched the TV serial, Cosmos. Unfortunately I was swept away by Sagan's smooth rhetoric and thought Sagan's Science had all the answers. I discarded my Christian faith. For the next 10 years, I still thought so; I avidly read books like Sagan's "Dragons of Eden", "Boca's Brain" and all the 'Zen...' books and many more. However I came to a road block. There are questions that they cannot answer - Where did I come from?, Where am I going?, What happens after I die?, and the ultimate, Does my life matter? The answers to these questions are found only in the words of Jesus. Sagan died a few years ago, a fervent atheist till the end. But I am certain, that where he is right now, he will agree with me (I am sad to say so) with despair.
Rating:
Summary: For Everyone
Review: In his book, Dr. Sagan takes the reader on a tour of the universe and a ride through time that belittles our existence but at the same time reveres it. But Dr. Sagan does not forget who he is writing for. One of the ideas behind the unbelievably popular companion tv show of Cosmos was that the general public is more interested in and capable of understanding science than it is given credit for. As such, Cosmos is a book anyone can pick up and enjoy, yet it remains intelligent throughout. If someone would want to find a place to begin understanding the history and life of our universe and our place in it, then this book is that place.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring
Review: Though this point has been time and time again, perhaps the greatest legacy that Carl Sagan left to us is how he was able to popularize science for the masses. While presenting a picture of a vast universe, one in which humanity is neither noteworthy nor the end result of the universe's creation, Sagan does not make the reader feel insignificant or forlorn. Rather, the reader is filled with a sense of awe and is inspired by the possibilities the cosmos holds for our species. It really isn't hyperbole when I claim that, for many, "Cosmos" is a spiritual, as well as an intellectual, journey of the imagination.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book But Science is Not Static
Review: I will give you a short and sweet review. This is a superb introduction to space and our cosmos written by an expert. If you are interested in space this is a good place to start. All the basics are covered. Read this as a starting point or for the pleasure of the book. If you have access to a library or some method of reading back issues of Scientific American I would suggest that you skim those also after you read the book. The reason I recommend that is that once you have finished the book you will be in a better position to try and understand more modern developments since this book is starting to become a bit dated. Scientific American dedicates a lot of space to developments in relativity and space for average or above average readers of general science articles. The book is well written and powerfully describes many basic concepts in terms that anyone can understand. Having said that this is a surprisingly fast moving field. There have been many developments in the past 10 years using the Hubble telescope, arrays of ground based radio receivers, x ray and gamma ray detectors, and satellite mounted sensors. These have all led to new discoveries and advances in the science not covered in the book. Good place to start. 5 stars. Jack in Toronto
Rating:
Summary: Ranks up there with the Bible
Review: Like the Holy Bible, Cosmos is epic work. Cosmos takes the reader from the dawn of Human creation to the twighlight of our future. Carl Sagan is the master at tranfering his passions to the reader. Not only did I gain and appreciation of the world around me but I gained a new perspective on man's place in the Universe.
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