The Human Cosmos : A Secret History of the Stars

Author: Marchant, Jo

Social & cultural history

Published on 2 September 2021 by Canongate Books in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 368 pages
416 x 185 x 29 | 262g

For most of human history, we have had a close relationship with the stars. Once they shaped our religious beliefs, power structures, scientific advances and even our biology. But over the last few centuries we have separated ourselves from the universe that surrounds us. And it comes at a cost.

The Human Cosmos is a tour of this history: from the Hall of the Bulls in Lascaux to Tahitian sailors navigating by the stars; from medieval monks grappling with the nature of time to Einstein realising that space and time are the same. It shows we need to rediscover the universe we inhabit, its effect on our health, and its potential for inspiration and revelation.