The Human Cosmos: Civilization and the Stars
by Jo Marchant
From $14.00 / copy at 25+ copies; lower per-copy prices at higher quantities (see Volume pricing) As low as $12.40 at 1,000+
Total $350.00
Format
The more copies, the less each one costs
Applied automatically in your cart. No code needed.
Built for school and campus orders
PDF quotes, purchase orders, tax exemption and multi-site delivery, handled by one account manager.
PDF quotes, purchase orders, tax exemption and help with vendor setup.
For schools Make it yoursBranded cover stickers on paperbacks from 100 copies, plus bookplates, inserts and belly bands. Your specialist confirms what fits your title.
Customization options Ship to every readerOne address, many sites or individual recipients' homes, in the US and abroad.
Fulfillment optionsThe Human Cosmos
A Best Book of 2020 (The Economist)
A Top Ten Best Science Book of 2020 (Smithsonian)
A Best Science and Technology Book of 2020 (Library Journal)
A Must-Read Book to Escape the Chaos of 2020 (Newsweek)
Starred review (Booklist)
Starred review (Publishers Weekly)
A historically unprecedented disconnect between humanity and the heavens has opened. Jo Marchant's book can begin to heal it.
For at least 20,000 years, we have led not just an earthly existence but a cosmic one. Celestial cycles drove every aspect of our daily lives. Our innate relationship with the stars shaped who we are—our art, religious beliefs, social status, scientific advances, and even our biology. But over the last few centuries we have separated ourselves from the universe that surrounds us. It's a disconnect with a dire cost.
Our relationship to the stars and planets has moved from one of awe, wonder and superstition to one where technology is king—the cosmos is now explored through data on our screens, not by the naked eye observing the natural world. Indeed, in most countries, modern light pollution obscures much of the night sky from view. Jo Marchant's spellbinding parade of the ways different cultures celebrated the majesty and mysteries of the night sky is a journey to the most awe-inspiring view you can ever see: looking up on a clear dark night. That experience and the thoughts it has engendered have radically shaped human civilization across millennia. The cosmos is the source of our greatest creativity in art, in science, in life.
To show us how, Jo Marchant takes us to the Hall of the Bulls in the caves at Lascaux in France, and to the summer solstice at a 5,000-year-old tomb at Newgrange, Ireland. We discover Chumash cosmology and visit medieval monks grappling with the nature of time and Tahitian sailors navigating by the stars. We discover how light reveals the chemical composition of the sun, and we are with Einstein as he works out that space and time are one and the same. A four-billion-year-old meteor inspires a search for extraterrestrial life. The cosmically liberating, summary revelation is that star-gazing made us human.
Details
- Publisher
- Penguin Publishing Group
- Author
- Jo Marchant
- Format
- Paperback
- Published
- Sep 7, 2021
- ISBN-13
- 9780593183045
- ISBN-10
- 0593183045
- Pages
- 400
- Carton quantity
- 36 copies
The Human Cosmos for groups: pricing
Volume pricing applies automatically in your cart. No codes, no account needed.
| Copies | Price per copy | You save |
|---|---|---|
| 25 – 99 | $14.00 | 30% off list |
| 100 – 249 | $13.60 | 32% off list |
| 250 – 499 | $13.20 | 34% off list |
| 500 – 999 | $12.80 | 36% off list |
| 1,000+ | $12.40 | 38% off list |
Popular for
A copy for every student in the class or section.
Shared reading for professional development.
Common reads and first-year programs.
Where can I buy 100 copies of The Human Cosmos?
BookPal sells The Human Cosmos in quantity. At 100 copies the price is $13.60 a copy, against a list price of $20.00, and the cart applies the volume tier automatically. Free shipping on most orders over $95 in the contiguous US. A specialist can quote a larger or mixed order.
- New books only, straight from the publisher
- Volume prices apply automatically in the cart, with no code needed
- Order at least 10 business days before you need the books (11 from mid-November through December)
What does The Human Cosmos cost when I buy for a group?
Volume pricing applies automatically in your cart, with no code needed. Price per copy: 25 to 99 copies, $14.00 (30% off list); 100 to 249 copies, $13.60 (32% off list); 250 to 499 copies, $13.20 (34% off list); 500 to 999 copies, $12.80 (36% off list); 1,000+ copies, $12.40 (38% off list). Need a different quantity, or a quote to forward for approval? Ask a specialist and we will confirm pricing before you pay.
How fast can I get copies of The Human Cosmos?
Need them by a specific date? Request a quote and we'll confirm timing before you pay.
Can you ship to several locations or people's homes?
Yes. We ship group orders to one address, to multiple sites, or to individual recipients, in the US and internationally. See fulfillment options.
Can I get a formal quote for approval before ordering?
Yes. Request a quote and we'll send a PDF you can forward for approval.
Do you accept purchase orders and tax-exempt orders?
Yes. We accept purchase orders upon approval, as well as cards, PayPal, ACH, wire transfers and checks. BookPal is a tax-exempt supplier in all 50 states. See purchase orders and sales tax exemption.
What if I find a lower price?
Send us the link. We match prices from other booksellers and distributors on a new copy in the same edition, available to ship in the quantity you need. Clearance sales and pricing errors are the exception, and we'll tell you quickly if that's the case. Start a price match.
Write a Review
The Human Cosmos: Civilization and the Stars
Groups also order




A colleague asked you to approve this order
Your quote list
Add books as you browse, then request one quote for all of them.