	Archives of the Universe

A Treasury of Astronomy's Historic Works of Discovery

Hardcover published by Pantheon Books, November 2004

An unparalleled history of astronomy told through 100 primary documents—from the Maya’s first recorded efforts to predict the cycles of Venus to the 1998 paper that posited an accelerating universe.

Award-winning science writer Marcia Bartusiak is a wonderfully compelling guide in this sweeping overview. Her authoritative, accessible commentaries on each document provide historical context and underscore the more intriguing and revolutionary aspects of the discoveries.

Here are records of the earliest naked-eye celestial observations and cosmic mappings; the discovery of planets; the first attempts to measure the speed of light and the distance of stars; the classification of stars; the introduction of radio and x-ray astronomy; the discovery of black holes, quasars, dark matter, the Big Bang, and much more. Here is the work of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, Halley, Hubble, and Einstein, as well as that of dozens of lesser-known scientists who have significantly contributed to our picture of the universe.

An enthralling, comprehensive history that spans more than two millennia—this is essential reading for professional astronomers, science history buffs, and backyard stargazers alike.

	Critical Response

	•	"Galileo, Newton, Copernicus and Einstein are just a few of the dozens of scientific authorities heard in this anthology of 100 groundbreaking documents. ...the author provides a helpful road map with her lucid explanatory essays and annotation."

	Scott Veale, The New York Times

	•	"Have you thought about being a fly on the wall at a Famous Astronomers Throughout History cocktail party? It would be a fascinating experience to hear astronomy's great thinkers explain their theories to each other and argue over the fine points. In Archives of the Universe, Marcia Bartusiak creates the literary equivalent of such a gathering, [introducing] these astronomers with deftly written, insightful commentary about their seminal astronomical writings….Bartusiak's wit and eye for the humanity of her subjects sparkles throughout the book."

	Carolyn Collins Petersen, Sky & Telescope

	•	"Here the reader gets not only a clear and concise history of astronomy but also excerpts from many of the memorable papers written by the scientists who made the pivotal astronomical discoveries. The history comes in Bartusiak's fine introductions to the eight periods she describes and to the individual papers. The authors include such eminent figures as Ptolemy, Copernicus, Albert Einstein and Alan H. Guth."

	Scientific American

	•	"...Bartusiak tells the history of astronomy through the words of the greatest thinkers the field has known....coherent and compelling..."

	Science News

	•	"From Aristotle's proof that the earth is a sphere, through Newton's universal law of gravity, to the recent finding that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, Archives of the Universe is a comprehensive anthology of the most important astronomical discoveries of all time....Bartusiak's ebullient prose and obvious enthusiasm make [it] a unique and accessible tour of the history of astronomy....[a] memorable guide to the stars."

	Mara E. Vatz, Technology Review

	•	"Among the many famous authors presented here—Galileo, Einstein, Kepler, Newton, Copernicus, etc.—no voice shines through as accessibly as that of Bartusiak herself. The author...has sewn together this collection of historical reprints with an admirable number of original, explanatory essays that situate each document within a larger scientific history, clarifying each paper's importance and showing how each discovery set the foundation for the next. For serious astronomy enthusiasts, this book will surely become a well-loved resource."

	Publishers Weekly

	•	"Archives of the Universe is a must read for all students of astronomy and of the history of science."

	AAAS Science Books & Films

	•	"...Bartusiak...brings the most important works in the history of astronomy to life in her 'Archives of the Universe.'...If you want to know how our ideas about cosmology and black holes evolved, from Aristotle's conceptions to the current conclusions about how we know that we are in an accelerating universe, this book is a wonderful place to begin."

	Phi Beta Kappa Key Reporter

	•	"Half the fun of playing Chinese whispers is the pleasing shock of hearing what the first person actually said. That pleasure for adults is tagged 'primary sources.' Bartusiak has done astronomy a great favour. Archives of the Universe gives us the original words of 100 great thinkers, familiar and unfamiliar."

	Maggie McDonald, New Scientist

	•	"...Bartusiak carries us along the journey of learning about the stars....She captures the essence of what was discovered in easy to follow language....Ptolemy, the Big Bang, pulsars, neutrinos and a plethora of other elements which added up to our knowledge today are dealt with in stunning sequence....A book worth keeping on the shelf of scholar and layman alike, this collection of original sources is commendable..."

	John Davis, The Decatur Daily

	•	"[A] beautiful compendium of astronomical thoughts spreading over centuries....For astronomy aficionados [this] book will become a well-loved treasure."

	The Telegraph, Calcutta, India

	•	"...fills [an] important niche in the history of astronomy....It does not need to be read beginning to end, but you can dip your toe in at your pleasure. Archives is another book that has taken its place on my nightstand, and will be there for some time to come."

	John Rummel, Capitol Skies, Madison Astronomical Society

	•	"A great adventure story—the quest to fathom the cosmos. Bartusiak's incisive commentaries and the wealth of well-chosen excerpts from primary sources tell this story with authority and grace. For those who feel awestruck upon gazing at the starry night sky, this book provides a compelling link to the seekers, both past and present, whose insights have cast light into the darkness."

	Brian Greene, professor of physics and mathematics, Columbia University and author of The Fabric of the Cosmos

	•	“Archives of the Universe is a stunning compendium of scientific thought through the centuries, in the original words of the thinkers themselves, with masterful introductions by Bartusiak. This is a treasure I will keep on my own shelf forever.”

	Alan Lightman, author of Einstein’s Dreams

	•	“Astronomy is one of the most vibrant and fast-advancing of modern sciences, but it is also a science with ancient roots. This book offers a unique chance to follow, with an expert guide, the key steps that have led to our current understanding of the cosmos. Marcia Bartusiak offers general readers a lucid commentary on a comprehensive and well-chosen anthology of scientific highlights.”

	Martin Rees, professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Cambridge University, and author of Our Final Hour

	•	"From the mouths of those who made it happen, Archives of the Universe takes the reader to the front lines of discovery-spinning the story of the evolution of the universe, and also the evolution of scientific styles. From Plato to the present day, scientists share their earliest insights into black holes and the big bang, gravity waves and curved space-time, how stars shine and the universe expands. Don't take my word for it: Take it from Brahe and Bethe, Eddington and Oppenheimer, Geller and Guth. Marcia Bartusiak is the perfect guide to this series of seminal papers, giving us a library-in-a-book that belongs on every astronomy-buff's bookshelf."

	K.C. Cole, author of Mind Over Matter: Conversations with the Cosmos

	•	"Bartusiak is a sprightly guide to astronomy's greatest treasures. There's no dust in these Archives, except the kind discovered in the Milky Way. Across the centuries, she hears the fresh voice of original discovery. Her introductions transform this book from a shrewdly selected set of original documents into a delightful romp through the history of astronomy, right up to the twenty-first century."

	Robert P. Kirshner, professor of science, Harvard University, and author of The Extravagant Universe

	•	"Bartusiak has taken an all-star team of astronomers and evaluated, clarified and linked their original words in a manner that thrills the astronomically oriented reader. From the ancient Greeks to the modern celestial explorers using telescopes on the ground and in space, we are treated to a World Series of scientific discovery."

	Jay M. Pasachoff, professor of astronomy, Williams College, and author of A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets