The Complete Idiot's Guide to Theories of the Universe | 
 enlarge | Author: Gary F. Moring
Publisher: Alpha
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
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Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 55376
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Pages: 360
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 7.9 x 0.9
ISBN: 0028642422
Dewey Decimal Number: 523.1
UPC: 021898642424
EAN: 9780028642420
ASIN: 0028642422
Publication Date: December 4, 2001
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Condition: `New, Softcover. Remainder mark, bottom end edge. Minor edge/shelf wear. Ships with USPS tracking number and confirmation e-mail. Compare our feedback and see why more and more people are choosing ufjoebooks! Accurate Grading, Detailed Descriptions, Fast Shipping, Low Prices, and Responsive Customer Service :-)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Wonderful read, complicated subject seems easy October 30, 2008
Richard Marlow (Tyler, Tx United States)
Gary Moring is a master at explaining complex issues. It's taken me three weeks to get half way through the book, and I can't wait to see what the ending is! Garys insights and explanations are a pleasure to read - I can't recommend enough br /
Cosmology, Religion and so much more June 30, 2007
Loves to Learn
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
When you see a book title like "Theories of the Universe", the usual expectation is that it is strictly a science book. But this book is so much more that just a scientific perspective. The ideas presented in this book cover philosophical, religious as well as the views found in science. Interwoven are themes of mythology, which when included with chapters on quantum physics and the holographic universe, provide a rich environment that offers an interdisciplianry approach to cosmology. Along with the author's varied teaching background in philosophy, comparative religion and physics, his light-hearted yet insighful approach to the material can help us see how different theories, beliefs and speculations about our universe can help us to not take ourselves too seriously when it comes to what we think we know about the cosmos.
 Who's the Idiot? December 18, 2006
Suvit Singhsachakul (Bangkok, Thailand)
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
When a lay person picks up a book entitled "An Idiot's Guide To (Insert Interest)", he/she expects a book that walks the reader through the topic flawlessly and with sophisticated simplicity. This would be a book with pictures, graphs and illustrations that helps alleviate as much imaginary guesswork as possible for us readers so that we can focus on grasping the concepts. If we are stuck trying to visualize the concept at every turn of the sentence, reading it would be painful. Especially with a book that explores the abstract and scientific concepts of Einstein's Relativity and Quantum Mechanics (which literally IS "rocket science"), having no visual aids makes for a very frustrating reading experience. Let's just say, after each paragraph, I had to google the topic for visual explanations of what was going on. I might as well just have read up on these topics on-line instead. The absence of visual aids in this book is a drawback; one that is so significant that it renders this book severely compromised. This book left me with one question, "Who's the idiot here?"; the author or the reader? br / br /Don't misunderstand me. I have the most profound respect for the author, Mr. Moring, who obviously is well versed in the physics that he presents in his book. This book is not completely without merit though (otherwise I wouldn't have given it 3 stars). First, the book encapsulates all the key scientific theories of the 20th and 21st century in a sequential manner, explaining how one concept lead to the next. Furthermore, the section on "Quantum Holograms" has the most cogent and intuitive explanation I've seen anywhere. This, for me, was its saving grace. Lastly, the side notes and humorous cartoons break the monotony on such serious topics. br / br /If the writer did away with all the religious mumbo jumbo and spent more page space for elaborating certain concepts with more examples and illustrations, this book would've gotten 5 stars from me, especially when trying to explain super-symmetry and super-strings. You are better off reading Brian Greene's "The Elegant Universe". Now THAT book is a bestseller for a reason!
Comprehensive and comprehensible March 7, 2006
Stuart Greenbaum (Sacramento, CA, USA)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Theories of the Universe is the only book of the dozens I've read on cosmology to approach the mysteries of the universe from not only the perspective of science, but philosophy, mythology and even religion. Just as important, author Gary Moring presents these diverse perspectives in a conversational style and at a completely comprehensible level. This book deserves a place on your bookshelf between Cosmos and The Universe in a Nutshell, though of the three it will most likely be the more practical reference and more often recommended.
If facts are what you need - here is a great book! December 30, 2005
Seth Stephens (Olympic Peninsula)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed reading Gary Moring's book. I am longer in the tooth than most readers and missed studying many of the current theories in school so I enjoy trying to keep abreast of things by reading publications such as "Discovery", "Nature",and the "Smithsonian". Often times I run into concepts and ideas in these magazines that are not fully explained and even if they are I often don't understand it. This book has been a great source for me to go to for a brief, clear, and completely understandable explanation. I thank Mr.Moring for his effort in making even complex ideas understandable and very readable. As far as the religious angle, it has helped me understand where it is coming from and the part history has played in the world's beliefs. I would highly recommend this book to everyone that wants to understand the world and their place in it.
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