''The Universe for Beginners'', republished as ''Introducing the Universe'', is a 1993

graphic Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of data, as in design and manufacture, ...

study guide to

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher ...

written by

Felix Pirani __NOTOC__ Felix Arnold Edward Pirani (2 February 1928 – 31 December 2015) was a British theoretical physicist, and professor at King's College London, specialising in gravitational physics and general relativity. Pirani and Hermann Bondi w ...

and illustrated by

Christine Roche Christine Roche (born 1939) is French-Canadian illustrator, cartoonist, teacher and film-maker who lives and works in London. Her work has appeared in several books, magazines, and national newspapers. She is currently a painter. Biography Chris ...

. The volume, according to the publisher's website, "recounts the revolutions in

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

and

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

," from "

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...

to Newton," and, " Einstein to

Quantum Mechanics Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistr ...

," "that underlie the present-day picture of the universe."

Publication history

This volume was originally published in the UK by Icon Books in 1993 as ''The Universe for Beginners'', and subsequently republished with different covers as ''Introducing the Universe'' and ''Introducing the Universe: A Graphic Guide''. Editions: * * * Related volumes in the series: * * * * * * * *

Reception

Norwegian philosopher Finngeir Hiorth states that the book, like its companion volume, ''Stephen Hawking for Beginners'', starts with, "historical passages dealing with earlier ideas about the Universe," before, "bringing the story up-to-date." Pirani's text is, according to Hiorth, "written in a simple and easily understandable language with a minimum of formulas," with terminology, "always explained." " ofusely illustrated." by Roche, the volume is, Hiorth concludes, "like comics or funnies," where, "quite a lot of the information is formulated in an entertaining way."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Universe for Beginners, The Popular physics books Non-fiction graphic novels Educational comics 1993 in comics Cosmology books