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Timothy Ferris
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Coming of Age in the Milky Way Hardcover – January 1, 1988

by Timothy Ferris (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 164 ratings
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From the second-century celestial models of Ptolemy to modern-day research institutes and quantum theory, this classic book offers a breathtaking tour of astronomy and the brilliant, eccentric personalities who have shaped it. From the first time mankind had an inkling of the vast space that surrounds us, those who study the universe have had to struggle against political and religious preconceptions. They have included some of the most charismatic, courageous, and idiosyncratic thinkers of all time. InComing of Age in the Milky Way, Timothy Ferris uses his unique blend of rigorous research and captivating narrative skill to draw us into the lives and minds of these extraordinary figures, creating a landmark work of scientific history.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    495 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    William Morrow & Co
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1988
  5. Dimensions
    9 x 7 x 1 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0688058892
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0688058890
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The ancient Egyptians regarded the sky as a kind of tent canopy. Thirty centuries later, astronomer William Herschel argued that the sun belongs to a huge cluster of stars (a galaxy, as we call it today) and charted great swaths of intergalactic space through a telescope. How the human species slowly awakened to the vast reaches of space and time is the story absorbingly told by popular science writer Ferris (The Red Limit, Galaxies). His narrative humanizes the scientific enterpriseGalileo emerges here as a careerist, and Johannes Kepler as a self-loathing neurotic. Although it covers well-trod ground, this remarkable synthesis makes broad areas of science accessible to the layperson, from Darwin's and Lyell's investigations of the age of the earth to modern physicists' quest for a perfectly symmetrical, hyperdimensional universe. BOMC alternate.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA In the first section, Ferris uses historical anecdotes to relate astronomical discoveries and the foibles of their discoverers in a successful attempt to show the ``big names'' of science as real persons, warts and all. The second section, on the history of space and time, is also well done, if lacking in the human details. The third section, which deals with cosmology and modern physics, uses a philosophical approach to discuss difficult material; the result is not easy to absorb, but it is good base material for students who will ask questions and go further on their own. Throughout the book, introductory quotations are used to advantage to tease readers into the next topic. Bob Fliess, Episcopal High School, Bellaire, Tex .
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow & Co; First Edition (January 1, 1988)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 495 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0688058892
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0688058890
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 7 x 1 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 164 ratings

About the author

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Timothy Ferris

Timothy Ferris

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Timothy Ferris is the author of twelve books - among them The Science of Liberty and the bestsellers The Whole Shebang and Coming of Age in the Milky Way, which have been translated into fifteen languages and were named by The New York Times as two of the leading books published in the twentieth century, and Seeing in the Dark, named one of the ten best nonfiction books of 2002. He also edited the anthologies Best American Science Writing 2001 and the World Treasury of Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics. A former editor of Rolling Stone magazine, he has published over 200 articles and essays in The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Forbes, Harper's, Scientific American, Vanity Fair, The Nation, The New Republic, The New York Review of Books, and other periodicals.

Ferris wrote and narrated three television specials - "The Creation of the Universe," which aired repeatedly in network prime time for nearly 20 years, "Life Beyond Earth" (1999), and "Seeing in the Dark" (2007). He produced the Voyager phonograph record, an artifact of human civilization containing music and sounds of Earth launched aboard the twin Voyager interstellar spacecraft, which are now exiting the outer reaches of the solar system. He was among the journalists selected as candidates to fly aboard the Space Shuttle in 1986, and has served on various NASA commissions studying the long-term goals of space exploration and the potential hazards posed by near-Earth asteroids.

Called "the best popular science writer in the English language" by The Christian Science Monitor and "the best science writer of his generation" by The Washington Post, Ferris has received the American Institute of Physics prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship. His works have been nominated for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.

A Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Professor Ferris has taught in five disciplines - astronomy, English, history, journalism, and philosophy - at four universities, and is now emeritus professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
164 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

TooTall
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books of its kind.
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2023
Verified Purchase
This product replaced my own copy which I loaned out and never received back. I loved it when it first came out and have kept it on hand for decades as a go-to reference, or if I forget the (layperson) details of a particular theory. He’s an eloquent and lucid writer who took great pains to make this material accessible to non-scientists—especially quantum and probability field theories.

A lot has changed since this was written, but for anyone just interested in learning about astrophysics, cosmology, quantum physics and relativity (just for starters) this is a really good grounding on which to build. You can’t go wrong!
2 people found this helpful
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Randal D. Locke
5.0 out of 5 stars Quantum Leap in a book
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2000
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This is a wonderful book. A fine read, right from the start. Frankly, I am still slightly "giddy" from learning what a quantum leap really is, or at least thinking I have learned. I'm almost 50 but I think this is a wonderful book for younger readers. By younger, I mean older teens and twenty-somethings who will enjoy the entertaining approach to the universe Mr. Ferris provides. I don't currently have the book, it has been loaned to a young friend. I have a few more people in mind to whom I would like to loan the book. Mr Ferris deserves to make a good living (in my opinion), so maybe if you will take my humble word for it and buy this book, you will make up for the fact that I am going to spend the next few years loaning it out to people who won't or can't buy it. I personally read 50+ books a year including 'fatties' like the Ascent of Science by B.Silver. "Coming of Age" is one of my favorites. This book is fun, easy to read, has great stories, and it just kept getting more fun and more interesting right to the end. Buy it. Loan it to someone. Share the fun.
31 people found this helpful
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Kevin Pallister
4.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Historical Introduction to Cosmology
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2014
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Coming of Age in the Milky Way is an enjoyable history of cosmology and related fields. Ferris explains both the science itself and the personalities that made monumental contributions to our understanding of the cosmos. Although it’s a bit dated now, this is still a good book for the layperson interested in astronomy and cosmology. Some of Ferris’s metaphors regarding the size of the cosmos are truly stunning, and the sizable glossary and timeline at the end of the book are handy references.

One downside for me was that after assuming very little scientific background on the reader’s part for the majority of the book, Ferris seems to make less effort to explain the science of quantum mechanics and recent developments in particle physics. These concluding chapters give an overview of how these fields developed, but are not the best introduction to these topics. Otherwise this is an enjoyable and highly accessible book for scientific beginners or novices.
4 people found this helpful
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Odysseus at home
5.0 out of 5 stars Listening the music of the spheres
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2012
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Cosmos is a battlefield for the conflict between science and religion. Putting aside those books that defends one option (there is a god behind everything) or the other (there isn't), you have the chance of reading a book with no side to defend. This is the case, from my perspective, of "Coming of Age in the Milky Way."

Timothy Ferris is not a scientist but a journalist. In fact, a very special one. As long as you read the book you realize how much work there is behind the writing. I mean, hard work. Given that it is not easy to write about Space, Time and Creation, given the math and the physics and the chemistry involved, the merit is so big that you think that --in the case of Ferris-- that is not a virtue but a talent.

Thus, the merit of the book is that give you not only information but a Weltanschauung (a world view) that you won't forget. In fact, I finished the reading two weeks ago and some ideas are still with me. Referring to the Kepler second law ("Each planet sweeps out equal areas in equal times"), Ferris writes: "The second law revealed something even more astonishing, a Bach fugue in the sky." He is always giving you those sparks of beauty. And they are always in the right place. The book was not written as an excuse to make poetry but for showing us what we know about the cosmos and what we should expect for the next years. Anyway, the author has his inspired moments and --fortunately-- share them with us.

In this vein, chapter 19 "Mind and matter" offers the most inspired and attractive lucubration. The idea of a galaxy whose "ultimate purpose" is to build a nervous system brings you to the limits where poetry and science are touching each other. "Life," tells us Ferris, "might be the galaxy's way of evolving a brain."

All right, I won't tell you the whole program that Ferris proposes. I would prefer you to read it by yourself. In any case is astonishing, beautiful and (why not) probable. It makes you dream and hallucinate. I mean it.

To read "Coming of age..." won't let you with the sensation that you could do something better, independently of having a program for proving that there is a god out there or not. Ferris is not trying to convince you of nothing. What he does is to let you hear the celestial music of the spheres. Nothing else.

Finally, if you want to know about science, scientist, scientific progress, and not only that but understand them at a very good level, just buy it and then read it. You'll see I'm right.
7 people found this helpful
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Mom
5.0 out of 5 stars Tracing the Roots of Scientific Understanding
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2015
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This is not a coming-of-age/teen-angst beach-read book! Ferris provides a truly interesting look at scientific learning giving the reader both historic tidbits and a depth of understanding in a well-written, easy to comprehend tome. I am not a scientist nor well educated in the sciences yet found this to be readable and enjoyable. Tracing the understanding of the world and stars from ancient times through today's theories in physics and being interesting reading for the non-scientist is quite a marvelous feat of writing. Ferris accomplishes it well! I find myself going back through sections to re-read quotes or re-trace timelines. The amazing accomplishments of the ancient scientist - without computers and other modern marvels - continues to sink in and impress.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

USMAN ALI K
3.0 out of 5 stars ..
Reviewed in India on July 12, 2021
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Quality of the paper below standard
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Michael Langill
5.0 out of 5 stars An absolutely fascinating book on how we perceive our world ...
Reviewed in Canada on August 15, 2017
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An absolutely fascinating book on how we perceive our world, our galaxy and our universe -- and how we figured it out. Should be a university textbook.
One person found this helpful
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Amílcar
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good!
Reviewed in Spain on February 6, 2016
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I liked this book very much. Its very interesting and well written. I learned a lot from it. I recommend it.
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nhgirl
4.0 out of 5 stars great start but gets heavy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2013
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this book and have bought it as a present for others. The majority of the book is very enjoyable to read but at the end when it delves much more into science it is a little heavy and hard to read. However I love how it started and most of the book.
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