A Walk in the Woods, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, and A Short History of Nearly Everything (which won the Aventis Prize in Britain and the Descartes Prize, the European Union's top literary prize) are among Bill Bryson's best-selling novels. From 2005 until 2011, he was chancellor of Durham University, England's third oldest university, and he is an honorary fellow of the Royal Society.

In A Short History of Nearly Everything, the New York Times bestselling author of A Walk in the Woods and The Body, one of the world's most beloved writers, embarks on his ultimate journey—into the most intriguing and insoluble issues that science strives to answer.

In A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson hiked the Appalachian Trail—well, most of it. In A Sunburned Country, he faced some of Australia's most dangerous fauna. Now, in his largest work- A Short History of Nearly Everything, he faces his greatest challenge: understanding—and, if possible, answering—the oldest, most profound questions people have ever posed about the cosmos and ourselves.

Bryson aims to understand how we went from nothing to being us by exploring everything from the Big Bang to the emergence of civilisation. To that goal, he has been to the offices, laboratories, and field camps of some of the world's most advanced (and frequently obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians. He's read (or attempted to read) their books, bugged them with questions, and apprenticed himself to their brilliant minds. This quest is documented in A Short History of Nearly Everything, which is a sometimes profound, sometimes humorous, and always brilliantly clear and fascinating voyage through the realms of human knowledge as only Bill Bryson can express it. Science has never been more interesting or enjoyable.

Author: Bill Bryson

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/076790818X/

Ratings: 4.6 out of 5 stars (from 10449 reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #3,632 in Books

#4 in Science Essays & Commentary (Books)

#5 in Science & Scientists Humor

#7 in Natural History (Books)

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History and the best-selling author of Astrophysics for People on the Go. He currently resides in New York City.

What are the properties of space and time? How do we fit into the scheme of things? How does the universe factor into our lives? Neil deGrasse Tyson, respected astrophysicist and best-selling author, is the ideal guide through these mind-boggling questions.

But nowadays, few of us have time to ponder the cosmos. So Tyson, with sparkling humor, brings the universe down to Earth concisely and clearly in delectable chapters consumable anytime and anyplace in your busy day.

While you wait for your morning coffee, the bus, train, or plane, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry will teach you everything you need to know to be fluent and ready for the next cosmic headlines: from the Big Bang to black holes, quarks to quantum mechanics, and the search for planets to the search for life in the universe. The book is among the best books on astronomy you should read.

Author: Neil deGrasse Tyson

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0393609391/

Ratings: 4.7 out of 5 stars (from 19989 reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #1,540 in Books

#5 in Astrophysics & Space Science (Books)

For thirty years, Stephen Hawking was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, where he received various accolades and honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. My Brief History, the classic A Brief History of Time, the essay collection Black Holes and Baby Universes, The Universe in a Nutshell, and, with Leonard Mlodinow, A Briefer History of Time and The Grand Design are among his writings for the general reader.

Stephen Hawking's book, a milestone volume in science writing by one of our time's great minds, explores such important themes as: How did the universe begin—and what made it possible? Is time always moving forward? Is the cosmos infinite, or does it have limits? Is there more than one dimension in space? What will happen when it all comes to an end?

A Brief History of Time delves into the exotic regions of black holes and quarks, antimatter and "arrows of time," the big bang and a greater God—where the possibilities are wondrous and unexpected. Stephen Hawking brings us closer to the ultimate secrets at the center of creation with dazzling pictures and amazing imagination.

Author: Stephen Hawking

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Brief-History-Time-Stephen-Hawking/dp/0553380168/

Ratings: 4.7 out of 5 stars (from 15851 reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #2,152 in Books

#1 in Cosmology (Books)

#2 in Relativity Physics (Books)

#3 in Astronomy (Books)

Dr. Becky Smethurst is an award-winning astrophysicist and scientific communicator at the University of Oxford who studies how galaxies and their supermassive black holes co-evolve. She was just given a Research Fellowship by the Royal Astronomical Society for 2022. Her second book, A Brief History of Black Holes, follows her debut, Space: 10 Things You Should Know, which was chosen one of Sky at Night magazine's Top 20 books of 2019.

You are now in orbit around a black hole. The Earth revolves around the Sun, and the Sun revolves around the center of the Milky Way: a supermassive black hole, the galaxy's strangest and most misunderstood entity.

In A Short History of Black Holes, Dr Becky Smethurst of the University of Oxford charts the scientific achievements that have revealed the strange and amazing world of black holes, from the fall of enormous stars to the iconic first images of a black hole in 2019. In this cosmic adventure, you'll learn why black holes aren't actually 'black,' why you never want to be'spaghettified,' why black holes are more like sofa cushions than hoovers, and why the future is a direction in space rather than time beyond the event horizon. This fascinating book, full of wit and learning, shows why black holes hold the answers to the most important questions about our universe.

Author: Dr Becky Smethurst

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Brief-History-Black-Holes-everything/dp/1529086701/

Best Sellers Rank: #2,725 in Books

#4 in Astronomy (Books)

#8 in Astrophysics & Space Science (Books)

After observing Saturn through a small telescope in his late twenties, John A. Read, the author of 50 Things To See With A Telescope fell in love with astronomy. After a few years, he left his Fortune 500 position to become a full-time astronomy student, author, YouTuber, and father of three. Read received the RASC's Simon Newcomb Award for excellence in science communication in 2020.

This colorful edition, from the author of the blockbuster book 50 Things to See with a Small Telescope, explores the constellations with young readers, guiding them to dozens of galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters. Every page includes a useful "telescope view," which shows how objects appear when viewed through a tiny telescope or binoculars. John Read taught hundreds of pupils how to use telescopes and explore the night sky while a member of the Mount Diablo Astronomical Society in California. Now he's passing on his wisdom to you! Even if you don't have a telescope, this introduction to the night sky should be in every child's collection.

Author: John A Read

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/50-Things-See-Telescope-Constellation/dp/0999034650/

Ratings: 4.7 out of 5 stars (from 6266 reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #2,942 in Books

#1 in Comets, Meteors & Asteroids

#2 in Star-Gazing (Books)

#6 in Children's Astronomy Books (Books)

Harvard University's Fisher Professor of Natural History is Andrew H. Knoll. His awards include the International Prize for Biology, the National Academy of Sciences' Charles Doolittle Walcott and Mary Clark Thompson Medals, the Paleontological Society Medal, and the Geological Society of London's Wollaston Medal.

How well do you understand the terrain beneath your feet?

It's likely that where you're standing was previously cooking beneath a swirling sea of lava, crushed by a towering sheet of ice, rocked by a nearby meteor strike, or smothered by noxious vapors, submerged beneath seas, perched atop a mountain range, or roamed by frightening beasts. Most, if not all, of the preceding.

The narrative of our planet and the organisms that live on it is far more magnificent than any Hollywood film, with plot twists that equal a best-selling novel. However, we have only lately begun to piece together the entire riddle into a logical narrative. Known geologist Andrew H. Knoll provides a rigorous yet approachable biography of Earth, tracing our home planet's epic 4.6 billion-year story, drawing on decades of field investigation and up-to-date understanding of the newest science. A Brief History of Earth is a must-read for everyone interested in where we've been and where we're heading in the twenty-first century. It is considered one of the best books on astronomy.

Author: Andrew H. Knoll

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Brief-History-Earth-Billion-Chapters-ebook/dp/B08D9HVKJG/

Ratings: 4.5 out of 5 stars (from 666 reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #5,912 in Kindle Store

#1 in Environmental Science (Kindle Store)

#1 in Geology (Kindle Store)

#1 in Astronomy (Kindle Store)

DK was formed in London in 1974 and is currently the world's premier illustrated reference publisher, as well as a member of Bertelsmann's Penguin Random House business. DK publishes nonfiction for adults and children that is very visual and pictorial. DK creates content for consumers in over 100 countries and 60 languages, with operations in the United Kingdom, India, the United States, Germany, China, Canada, Spain, and Australia.

People have been looking up to the heavens and attempting to comprehend them since the start of time. This encyclopedia takes you on a journey across time and space to learn about our role in the cosmos.

How do we quantify the universe? What is the location of the event horizon? What exactly is dark matter? All of the answers to these questions, and many more, can now be found in this fascinating book about our universe!

In The Astronomy Book, you'll learn more about fascinating issues from the Copernican Revolution by using very clever visual learning methods including step-by-step graphics. Dive into the mind-boggling theories of modern science in a user-friendly format that makes the knowledge simple to understand.

Investigate the lives, theories, and discoveries of prominent astronomers throughout history, including Ptolemy, Galileo, Newton, Hubble, and Hawking.

To the stars and beyond! Join us as we travel through space and time:

• From Myth to Science 600 BCE - 1550 CE
  
• The Telescope Revolution 1550 - 1750
• Uranus to Neptune 1750 - 1850
• The Rise of Astrophysics 1850 - 1915
• Atom, Stars, And Galaxies 1915 - 1950
• New Windows on The Universe 1950 - 1917
• The Triumph of Technology 1975 - Present

The Astronomy Book is part of DK Books' award-winning Big Ideas Simply Explained series, which has sold over 7 million books worldwide. It makes complex things easy to understand by combining inventive images with entertaining prose.

Author: DK

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Astronomy-Book-Ideas-Simply-Explained-ebook/dp/B073W2BCHD/

Ratings: 4.7 out of 5 stars (from 998 reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #9,955 in Kindle Store

#1 in Astronomy for Teens & Young Adults

#1 in Teen & Young Adult Astronomy eBooks

#2 in Comets, Meteors & Asteroids

Andrew Fazekas, popularly known as the Night Sky Guy, is a science writer, speaker, and broadcaster who uses various media to communicate his enthusiasm for the wonders of the universe. He is the author of the book Star Trek: The Official Guide to our Universe and writes the famous web blog "StarStruck" for National Geographic.

This totally revised, user-friendly skywatcher's book is crammed with charts, graphics, images, and expert recommendations for viewing – and understanding – the wonders of space.

Astronomers should not be allowed to enjoy stargazing. In National Geographic Backyard Guide to the Night Sky, "Night Sky Guy" Andrew Fazekas takes an authoritative but approachable approach in these enticing pages that will please aspiring astronomers of all levels. The solar system, stars, and planets come to life in your own backyard thanks to essential information structured rationally.

Begin with the most basic constellations, then "star-hop" around the night sky to identify others nearby. Learn about the moon's dark side, how to identify Mars in a planetary lineup, and what kinds of stars twinkle in your favorite constellations. Hands-on techniques and ideas for watching with the naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope help you get the most out of sightings and celestial phenomena like eclipses and meteor showers. Photographs and visuals illustrate cosmic phenomena such as black holes, solar flares, and supernovas in an easy-to-understand format.

This indispensable guide shines light on the night sky—truly one of the greatest shows on Earth! Revised to make skywatching even easier for the whole family!

Author: Andrew Fazekas

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Backyard-Guide-Night/dp/1426220154/

Ratings: 4.7 out of 5 stars (from 1174 reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #9,046 in Books

#3 in Comets, Meteors & Asteroids

#4 in Mars

#5 in Star-Gazing (Books)

John Read is a writer and amateur astronomer from Halifax, Nova Scotia. John returned to Nova Scotia to study astrophysics at Saint Mary's University after leaving a fulfilling career in corporate finance in California. He presently works as a telescope operator at Burke-Gaffney Observatory.

50 Things to See with a Small Telescope delves into the planets, stars, galaxies, and nebulae that may be seen from your own backyard! The book provides simple star maps and eclipse charts that are up to date through 2030. You may observe how objects seem through a small telescope by using the "Telescope View" function. This book will assist you in:

• Choosing the right telescope for your budget
• Identifying notable stars and important constellations
• Seeing dazzling nebulae and globular clusters
• Exploring the Moon and planets
• Viewing comets and asteroids
• Following the Space Station and identify satellite flares
• And so much more!

Among the best books on astronomy, the following languages are available for 50 Things to See with a Small Telescope:

• English
• French
• Spanish
• Portuguese
• German
• Hindi
• Japanese
• Dutch
• Russian
• Italian

Author: John A Read

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/50-Things-See-Small-Telescope/dp/0615826717/

Ratings: 4.6 out of 5 stars (from 2915 reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #10,773 in Books

#1 in Telescopes (Books)

#5 in Star-Gazing (Books)

#16 in Astrophysics & Space Science (Books)

Brian Greene earned his bachelor's degree at Harvard and his doctorate at Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes scholar. He is a physics and mathematics professor at Columbia University in New York City.

The international best-seller that sparked a huge Nova special and a new perspective of the cosmos has been updated with a new prelude and epilogue.

One of the world's leading string theorists, Brian Greene, peels away layers of mystery to reveal a universe of eleven dimensions, where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter, from the smallest quarks to the most massive supernovas, is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy. The Elegant Universe makes some of the most complex ideas ever considered approachable and amusing, bringing us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works.

"Sets a standard that will be hard to beat." ― George Johnson, The New York Times Book Review

"Compulsively readable. . . . Greene threatens to do for string theory what Stephen Hawking did for black holes." ― New York

Author: Brian Greene

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Elegant-Universe-Superstrings-Dimensions-Ultimate/dp/039333810X/

Ratings: 4.7 out of 5 stars (from 2978 reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #11,466 in Books

#2 in Mathematical Physics (Books)

#3 in Physics (Books)

#4 in Quantum Theory (Books)

Hilary Statum has been teaching kindergarten for almost a decade. She is the author of the popular blog Pencils to Pigtails for parents and teachers, and she has a master's degree in Instructional Leadership.

Solar System for Kids takes kids ages 6 to 8 on a guided tour of the galaxy, kicking off the Junior Scientists series. It is one of the best books on astronomy for kids.

Space is infinite, as is your creativity! Prepare for an incredible adventure to the stars. Solar System for Kids is chock-full of fascinating facts, images, and graphics that will pique your interest and pique your curiosity. This is the best solar system book for kids aged 6 to 8 since it explains about the origins of the cosmos and how scientists believe galaxies, stars, and planets came to be. In one of the most interesting solar system books for youngsters, learn about the Sun, planets, dwarf planets, moons, and the asteroid belt.

This standout among solar system books for kids provides advice on finding constellations, planets, comets, and other celestial bodies from your own backyard. This book addresses curious kids' big questions about the universe, from exploring the night sky to learning about objects billions of miles distant. Hold on tight, Junior Scientist.

This list of the best solar system books for kids includes:

• Explore the entire universe with in-depth and simple-to-understand material in one of the most comprehensive solar system books for youngsters.
• Deep space knowledgeFrom dark matter and black holes to eclipses and moon landings, this book covers everything curious kids want to know about the universe.
• Discover even more interesting information by using the rich vocabulary, sidebars, and in-book activities.
• If you're looking for solar system books for youngsters, go no further than this one.

Author: Hilary Statum

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Solar-System-Kids-Scientists-Everything/dp/1646119282/

Ratings: 4.8 out of 5 stars (from 771 reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #11,405 in Books

#5 in Children's Physics Books (Books)

#21 in Children's Astronomy Books (Books)

#22 in Astronomy (Books)