Before the Big Bang by John Gribbin

Before the Big Bang Reviews

• 
  Brian Clegg

  In this compact (50 page) ebook, veteran popular science writer John Gribbin takes on the period in the current best-accepted theory of the origin of the universe, the hot big bang, that came before the big bang bit.
  
  Although I also wrote a book called Before the Big Bang, I'm not overly miffed as this is a totally different approach. Where my book was about the historical context leading up to the big bang theory, plus alternative models of the origin of the universe, some of which have more of a 'before' than the vanilla big bang theory, Gribbin is filling in a much misunderstood aspect of this central cosmological theory. As he frequently points out, the 'big bang' in question is not the beginning of the universe, but the point after inflation when things get seriously hot (though it's not totally clear that Fred Hoyle meant this at the moment he coined the term).
  
  Gribbin starts us off with a bit of background, revealing, for instance, in a more robust fashion than usual that Lemaitre and not Hubble was the discoverer of what is now known as Hubble's law. He then gives a clear picture of the nature of the big bang itself, based on a book by Soviet cosmologist Igor Novikov that dates back to the late 1970s, and remarkably is still pretty much in line with current understanding.
  
  From there, Gribbin gives us an excellent exploration of inflation and some of the reasoning behind the possibility of a singularity (or at least near-singularity) for the actual beginning of our universe, followed up with a good summary of the multiverse concept, and how it could be driven by different possible kinds of inflation, all brought up to date with useful analysis of the BICEP2 mis-discovery of evidence for inflation.
  
  Gribbin could have been a little less definitive about some of this, because however much cosmologists like to think they've left their reputation for speculation behind, there is still some (highly educated) guesswork in the field. When Gribbin says 'The story of the Big Bang is as well established as any story in science,' it feels a bit like when at the start of the twentieth century budding physicists were told 'there are only a few minor details to sort out, but basically we've got physics cracked.' And then relativity and quantum theory came along. So for instance, on dark matter, Gribbin comments 'we now know... that the Universe also contains something called dark matter', where I think it would be more balanced to say 'we now think...' but generally speaking the only other negative here is that because the book(let) is so short, it is quite condensed information, so is not as easy a read as the author's full length books.
  
  If you've got the price of a cup of coffee to spare, why not give your caffeine addiction a miss and spend it instead on something that really will improve the mind? There'll even be some change.
• 
  Kathy

  Thanks to a reviewer on this site I looked up this author and found this 41-page book that I could easily and enjoyably digest. I had not read any of the many books he has published previously.
  This one was available on Kindle Unlimited as are several others.
  There is a brief summary of universe theories from many sources over the past century presented in understandable language. It's rather like a fly over. Just right for a pedestrian such as myself...
  Outline science, yippee.
  "The reported discovery, in 2014, of gravitational radiation from the inflationary era is at least circumstantial evidence that these ideas are correct, and that our Universe is just one among many."
  Hmmm... then should we be capitalizing universe? Sorry, I get silly after reading abbreviated theories from cosmologists and particle physicists. But I really did enjoy the book.
• 
  Gareth

  I was a bit cautious about reading this book as I've had issues with some terrible "scientific" books from kindle unlimited, however John Gribbin has raised my hopes again.
  
  For a short book there is a hell of a lot of information packed into it. He touches on everything from "something from nothing" which Laurence Krauss has made famous to the eventual heat death (or lack of it). Everything is referenced to the original authors and highly researched.
  
  I always had the impression that inflation was post big bang however this book has shown me otherwise. Very easy to read and understand, this book is a must for anyone who wants to expand their knowledge on the origin of everything. And it's on kindle unlimited!! Brilliant. I'll definitely be reading the rest of his books.
• 
  Carolina Liechtenstein

  Pretty easy to read and gives a good sense of scale at the quantum level. I enjoyed it immensely and suggest it to those interested in cosmology and physics.
• 
  John Michael Strubhart

  John Gribbin knows how to explain science without dumbing anything down. Sure , there's not a lot of mathematics in this slim volume, but it's the concepts that he works on getting across. So, you won't truly understand inflation when you finish reading this. If you want that, do the math. Inflation is interesting and it's still in the running for what preceded The Big Bang. Hopefully, someday soon, we'll know what the real scenario is on what produced The Big Bang, so until then, read this.
• 
  Cheryl

  A good little science book here, it's a little old now so really I could do with an updated version however that is not to say it is all out of date, far from it. A straightforward guide to the Big Bang and what happened before. A little complicated/technical at times but that is the nature of the subject. I like his writing style very down to earth and not trying to be funny or cool, just correct. I would recommend this to others who want to know more but don't have all day to do it.
• 
  Ryan Curry

  Overall, a quick and easy to read summary of much of the current thinking on these topics. The book is broken down into four sections:
  
  1. The Big Bang
  2. The Puzzles that Pointed the Way
  3. Inflation
  4. The Birth Pangs of Universes
  
  These are heavy topics that Gribbin deals with, and I find it very impressive that he is able to cram so much information into such a small space.
  
  I came away from this one with a good list of other sources to check out, and the chapter on Inflation made it clear to me that I very much need to do more reading on that topic. and I am looking forward to reading more work by Gribbin. The
• 
  Dr Zorlak

  Well, John Gribbin is no Martin Gardner, but after you read enough of his books you start appreciating his dispassionate, robotlike prose. This is a very short essay describing in lay terms the conditions prevailing during the first couple of nanoseconds during and after the Big Bang. It is also a great summary of inflationary theory. Fair as always, Gribbin gives everybody his due, even those who first published their theories in obscure journals. Which is good.
  
  An intense, fast read.
• 
  Jeff

  Somewhat speculative but still good science
  
  John Gribbin's book offers an easy to understand (relatively speaking) explanation of big bang cosmology, and, in particular, different aspects of the theory known as "inflation." He also talks about the concept and ramifications of so-called "multiverse" theories and how they might be more than just interesting speculation--i.e., how they might be testable using current and future scientific techniques. Although it is not a full explanation of cosmology or of the big bang theory, it offers interesting thoughts on topics relative to these topics and thus supplements standard treatments of the same. Overall, it is a good short book on modern cosmology.
• 
  Philemon -

  This very short 45-page book provides an excellent introduction or refresher to the "inflationary" physics now assumed to have preceded the Big Bang. John Gribbin is one of the best expositors of physics for the lay reader somewhat conversant with physics, and cosmology in particular.
  
  Another book with the same title by Laura Mersini-Houghton was just published. I plan to read it.
• 
  Richard Raw

  Fascinating
  
  I loved this book. We live in exciting times in the world of astronomy. Very vivid imagery, beautifully descriptive. I can't wait to read it again.
• 
  Karin

  Good read
  
  Enjoyed the book, well written as all his books. many developements after the completion of this book. good for every person.
• 
  john bristow

  Understandable
  
  Far easier to understand than I thought possible. I am beginning to get to grips with my understanding of the universe far more now since reading this y.
• 
  Jan Leslie

  Great essay
  
  Like everything of his I have read he breaks down very complicated ideas and concepts in to understandable explanations that scientific enthusiasts can understand. Even without much benefit from formal studies.
• 
  Jay

  I have no background in physics or cosmology, but I'm fascinated by both (Andrei Linde is probably my favorite among modern physicists). Gribbin's prose is generally understandable to the non-math and non-physics-oriented reader. But this is also pretty dense stuff (I need to re-read a lot of it) that you need to parse carefully if you want to catch the full implications of what he's getting at. The implications are profound and epic. Gribbin's book does need serious proofing and editing, though. The uneven and sometimes sloppy prose gets in the way of appreciating the elegance of the concepts he's describing: how sub-atomic particles, electromagnetism, gravity and photons grew out of a Planck-length singularity and then, though the theoretical process of inflation, set the stage for a spacetime expansion, otherwise called the Big Bang. I'm in awe of modern cosmology and of the scientists out on the frontiers of the knowable. I loved the sections particularly teasing out the implications of the quantum fluctuations before the Big Bang and of the minute ripples in gravity waves that might be detectable in the cosmic microwave background. These ideas could bring us a step closer to proving the existence of a multiverse. So, editorial critiques aside, I found this a really compelling read. Recommended to all fans and followers of cosmology!
• 
  Elizabeth Felix

  "A good introduction"
  
  This was an impulse download as part of the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library so I didn’t have to pay for it which is great. If you’re an Amazon Prime member I would really recommend taking advantage of this perk along with the Kindle First program which gives you a choice of new release books that you can keep for free each month.
  
  I’ve got a science background so I’ve got a small advantage over the average reader but haven’t delved into Physics since school. I thought this was clearly written with only small sections where the ideas were simply impossible to truly explain in such a short format. I really appreciated that the ideas where explained chronologically so you get a feel for how the science has developed over time.
  
  I read this while having breakfast on a Sunday morning so it really is a very quick introduction to the theories surrounding the big bang and the creation of the universe.
• 
  Katie Owsiany

  Great update on current theory
  
  The book was great because the author repeats key concepts many times throughout the book in a variety of ways. You don't have to agonize over every paragraph, be assured that you will understand the point in at least one iteration. It gives just enough detail for the broad strokes of modern astrophysics to be communicated, and importantly, enough detail for those ideas to be appreciated on a level higher than typical pop physics. It's as if the author read one too many misleading science news articles and said "just TELL them what we're talking about!"
• 
  Ramon David

  Excellent Read: contents are detailed, yet not incomprehensible by novices such as myself. Very limited equations yet the results of the equations are spelled out very well. Read it. Unless you are a PhD in cosmology or physics you will enjoy this book.
  
  contents are detailed, yet not incomprehensible by novices such as myself. Very limited equations yet the results of the equations are spelled out very well. Read it. Unless you are a PhD in cosmology or physics you will enjoy this book.
• 
  Wook Wook

  Another Kindle Unlimited win.
  
  I started out not enjoying the way he moved from Science to History to
  Personalities. But half-way through he really caught his stride, and
  he provided a really cogent explanation of cosmological concepts like
  Inflation, the Multiverse, Spatial Flatness, and the relationship between
  Cosmology and Evolution.
  
  I don't know if I'll read Gribbins other books, but I've certainly wishlisted
  them.
  
  
• 
  Atul Belur

  A quick guide through the state of the universe before , during and just after the big bang. Corrected my chronological view of inflation and what it actually meant to the big bang. Still, too brief to my liking but a good reference to have when I forget of how things are the way they are...
• 
  Bookphile

  Despite that this was so technical I had some trouble following it, it was still very interesting. The whole idea of the multiverse is one that fascinates me, and I am looking forward to finding out what scientists discover as they further their studies in this field.
• 
  Josh

  Good quick science read
  
  Easy read for someone with a science background. Some of it would be hard to understand without mathematic/scientific knowledge.
  
  The topic is interesting and the final conclusions are thought provoking.
• 
  Martin

  Explains some mind-boggling stuff very clearly!
• 
  Rob

  Interesting but on the short side
  
  Interesting but on the short side, contains good detail on the standard model but would be nice to have more about string theory included
• 
  Francisco Bricio

  Clear, concise and to the point
  
  This book presents current theories for the beginning of the universe easily understandable to anyone. Clear, concise and to the point.
• 
  Kastin

  Very technical. A bit over my head.
• 
  Almodather Awad

  A great extended essay that offers an easy-to-follow brief story about the beginning of our entire Universe.