Dark Side of the Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Cosmos Hardcover – Illustrated, March 20, 2007

I am a layman who became interested in cosmology only a few years ago. I have been reading books and watching videotapes on the subject for maybe four years. Virtually all of the other books on the subject were enlightening and worth reading, but none of them measure up to this one. The surprising thing about this book is the combination of really current information with copious illustrations, including a lot of high-quality photographs. This is the kind of book one would expect from the press of a high-quality university like Johns Hopkins.I recommend it highly for the interested layman.

I have only just started reading this book; however, having flicked through it, I am very impressed. It is beautifully illustrated and well written. While I am fascinated by the subject matter of this book, I am not a physics student - even so, I can follow the text with ease. My hat goes off to Iain Nicolson. It is the sort of book that makes a wonderful present - for yourself or someone else.

This is a very good book on presenting in a simplistic and graphic manner the current thinking,logic and history behind the theory of the composition of the universe. They have some great pictures of the universe and excellent schematics to display the different principles being presented. If you are looking for the math behind these principles then this is not your book. However, if you want a clear non-mathmatical graphic presentation of the current theories and reasoning behind the current ideas of what makes up the universe, then this is your book! I loved the photographs!!

This book is very descriptive -- no mathematical development -- the discussion is for the novice who is looking for an overview.

It helped me understand a subject I am fasinated with and showed me how little I know about it. I would have liked to have had more direct sources or referrals to learn much more in up to date details.

Reads like the companion book to a BBC documentary broadcast for a non-technical audience. The non-technical author probably read the works of or interviewed many of the researchers and then tried to summarize their work for a non-technical audience. The pictures are beautiful, but that doesn’t make up for the lack of up-to-date scientific rigor.

This book patiently explains many of the important scientific concepts in clear, plain English with excellent examples. It does so with perhaps a little too much certainty. It is, in my opinion, one of the better sources for basic introduction to the concepts of physics and cosmology.

I read for stimulus, the less I know when I start makes me want to continue and finish the book.