Many Worlds in One - by Alex Vilenkin (Paperback)

About the Book

Vilenkin gives an exciting, surprisingly entertaining firsthand account of the birth of the new cosmology, and its fascinating--and at times disturbing--implications.

Book Synopsis

A Leading Figure in the Development of the New Cosmology Explains What It All Means

Among his peers, Alex Vilenkin is regarded as one of the most imaginative and creative cosmologists of our time. His contributions to our current understanding of the universe include a number of novel ideas, two of which--eternal cosmic inflation and the quantum creation of the universe from nothing--have provided a scientific foundation for the possible existence of multiple universes.

With this book--his first for the general reader--Vilenkin joins another select group: the handful of first-rank scientists who are equally adept at explaining their work to nonspecialists. With engaging, well-paced storytelling, a droll sense of humor, and a generous sprinkling of helpful cartoons, he conjures up a bizarre and fascinating new worldview that--to paraphrase Niels Bohr--just might be crazy enough to be true.

Review Quotes

"A wonderful tour of modern cosmology, wittily directed by one of the most gifted practitioners of the field. A pleasure to read." --Mario Livio, Senior Scientist, Space Telescope Science Institute, and author, most recently, of The Equation That Couldn't Be Solved

"Alex Vilenkin mines the subtlest phenomena shaping the cosmos to derive the grandest consequences. This is remarkable stuff--fantastic and moving in its implications--yet it is neither fantasy nor science fiction. Vilenkin's portrait of the cosmos points to the logical possibility of a multiplicity of universes, events and lives, and leads us to wonder about our own significance in this sea of infinite possibility." --Janna Levin, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Barnard College of Columbia University, and author of How the Universe Got Its Spots

"Alex Vilenkin's Many Worlds in One is one of the best science books I have ever read. Not only is Vilenkin one of the great pioneers in the subject of modern cosmology, but also he is exceptionally clear, wonderfully witty, and frequently full of wisdom." --Leonard Susskind, Felix Bloch Professor of Physics, Stanford University, and author, The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design.

"Can it really be that our Universe is just one of many? Alex Vilenkin is your amiable, but authoritative and completely serious guide to this audacious idea at the frontier of cosmological science. He makes astonishing thoughts sound like sensible steps forward in an earnest enterprise. Many Worlds in One will open your mind to exponentially expanding universes that may lie just beyond our own." --Robert P. Kirshner, Clowes Professor of Science, Harvard University, and author of The Extravagant Universe: Exploding Stars, Dark Energy and the Accelerating Cosmos

About the Author

Alex Vilenkin is a professor of physics at Tufts University, where he also serves as director of the Tufts Institute of Cosmology. The author of more than 150 research papers in cosmology, he has introduced a number of novel ideas to the field.