#2 in Popular science
Cosmos
- 354
- Pages
- about 6 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“Cosmos” turns the history of astronomy into one story about people working out where they are in the universe. Sagan’s prose is the draw, moving with ease from the thinkers of antiquity to the twentieth century, a gift rare in the genre. Some readers note that parts have dated since 1980, most plainly on Mars; others find his confidence in science and technology too unquestioning.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Cosmos is a popular science book written by astronomer and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Carl Sagan. It was published in 1980 as a companion piece to the PBS mini-series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage with which it was co-developed and intended to complement. Each of the book's 13 illustrated chapters corresponds to one of the 13 episodes of the television series.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 9.1 across 365 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 71% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Popular science average of 8.3. That is how 8.8 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 9.2 | 24 | 7% |
| Hardcover | 9.1 | 341 | 93% |
Frequently asked
How long is Cosmos?
It has 354 pages — longer than 63% of the ranked books in Popular science.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Popular science — with scores between 8.3 and 8.6, closest to this book.
