A Briefer History of Time
Book Reviews
Can you summarize the history of the Universe in 100 words or less?
Eric Schulman does in his Science/Humor Book, A Briefer History of
Time. And for each of these very important words he has written
something funny. Most of them manage to teach something about science
or history, too. This is a good book to read in short bursts, when you
a want a quick pick-me-up break from work...
A Briefer History of Time is a hilarious romp through history and
science. There’s a belly laugh on almost every page. I can’t recommend
this book
enough, it was delightful. Eric Schulman is brilliant and his take on
the
universe, science, politics, and religion are not to be missed.
--DNA Publications
From the Big Bang to the evolution of
humans to the resignation of Richard Nixon and beyond, in the tradition
of the
Ig Nobel Prize, this is a highly irreverent and scientifically
entertaining
overview of some of the most important cosmic milestones since the
beginning
of time. From "Quantum Fluctuation," in which the Universe begins, to
"Star
Formation," in which the Sun forms, to "Civilization," in which many
and
sundry events occur, to "Extrapolation," in which future events are
discussed.
--Mercury Magazine (March/April,
2000)
In A Briefer History of Time (W.H.
Freeman and Co.), Eric Schulman '90 puts a new spin on 53 important
milestones of the last 15 billion years, from the birth of the world to
the birth of the World Wide Web. Nothing's sacred in this irreverent,
entertaining, and educational overview of time. From the Shakespearean
account of the production of helium soon after the Big Bang to a
Dragnet-style investigation into the rise and fall of Earth's first
empire, Schulman makes academics not only accessible but also
entertaining.
--UCLAlumni (November, 1999)
A disciple of the Ig Nobel Prizes applies
the irreverence of that event to the history of the universe. The first
of 53 succinct chapters begins as any good story does, at 10^-43 seconds after the Big Bang with "Once upon a time,
long ago . . . ." These passages lead, among other places, to Martha
Stellar's Living (which is
devoted to learning how to make a star) and dissection of multicellular
organisms based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental
Disorders.
--Science News (May 29, 1999)
The often-voiced theory behind the
tremendous success of Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time
was that it
was bought more than read. In A Briefer History of Time: From the
Big
Bang to the Big Mac, astronomer Eric Schulman slaloms through the
past
with short takes on such things as the expansion of the universe (told
in
racetrack announcer style), the formation of helium and heavy hydrogen
(told
in a Shakespearean scene), and the extinction of the dinosaurs (told in
a
poem). In sum, says publisher W.H. Freeman of this February title, "a
whiz-bang
collection of the universe's greatest hits." Interestingly, the book
grew
out of Schulman's less than 200-word history of the universe, which was
submitted
to the Internet newsgroup rec.humor.funny, published in the Annals
of
Improbable Research and performed at the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony at
Harvard. (Not surprisingly, claims the publisher, "it was the hit of
the
show.")
--Publishers Weekly (August 10, 1998)
Eric
Schulman,
