Books for "Space Time and the Cosmos" FYS

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: The required textbook for the course is The Fabric of the Cosmos (and I am looking into whether it can be incorporated into the "Perusall" system ( http://www.perusall.com/ ) to facilitate online discussions.

FOR OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL READING

  • The Big Picture (A very thoughtful discussion about many big questions, a runner up for the required book for this course, but the focus is a bit different than I wanted.)
  • A Perfect Theory (A beautiful account of the development of General Relativity, its current successes and open questions. Also proud to say that the author was my first graduate student!)
  • The Whole Shebang (A wonderful account of modern cosmology by a prizewinning writer)
  • A Universe from Nothing (I have not read this, but colleague recommended it. Also, I know the author is a very talented communicator.)
  • Coming of Age in the Milky Way (More about the historical development of science. Beautifully captures the joy and sense of adventure I feel about doing science.)
  • One, Two, Three Infinity (A fun discussion of specific questions, especially links to mathematics.)

Unfortunately I do not frequently read popular level books on my specialty. I would be glad to hear recommendations of books you especially like.