Carl Sagan: A Life"Carl Sagan was one of the most celebrated scientists of his time - the leading visionary of the Space Age. He was also a highly controversial figure who inspired wildly opposed opinions. His enthusiasm and eloquence about the wonders of space, the marvels of the human brain, and the mysteries of life captured the imagination of millions. Yet one scientist was so enraged by Sagan's scientific pronouncements that he compared him to the Black Plague, and William F. Buckley, Jr. likened him to circus huckster P. T. Barnum."--BOOK JACKET. "Sagan's life was both an intellectual feast and an emotional roller coaster. Whether he was searching for life on Mars or visiting Timothy Leary in prison, prophesying exciting scientific discoveries or getting arrested for protesting nuclear weapons, debating the existence of UFOs or advocating the creative benefits of smoking marijuana, Carl Sagan was a fascinating, charismatic, and complex man full of contradictions."--BOOK JACKET. "His TV series Cosmos awed hundreds of millions around the world, and his bestseller The Dragons of Eden won the Pulitzer Prize. Yet the value of his scientific work was often called into question. His Ph.D. dissertation narrowly escaped rejection, he was denied tenure at Harvard, and in the twilight of his life, he was denied membership in the prestigious National Academy of Sciences."--BOOK JACKET. "In this insightful and evenhanded biography, science journalist Keay Davidson reveals for the first time the man behind the famous image - the storm of contradictions and passions that animated this enigmatic and entrancing man who remained, at heart, the five-year-old Brooklyn boy who looked up at the stars and asked: What arethey?"--BOOK JACKET. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
aliens American Ann Druyan Arden papers argued astronomer atmosphere believe biology called career Carl Sagan clouds colleagues Contact Cornell Cosmic Cosmos David debate decades Dorion Dragons of Eden Drake early Earth extraterrestrial father film Frank Drake galaxy Grinspoon Harvard human hypothesis Ibid Icarus ideas intellectual intelligent interstellar Isaac Asimov Jupiter Kuiper launch Lederberg Lester Grinspoon letter look lunar Lynda Obst Lynn Margulis Mariner Mars Martian Menzel million Moon Muller NASA Nick Nick Sagan NS interview nuclear weapons nuclear winter Obst organic molecules perhaps phone interview planet planetary political Pollack popular probe Rachel radio robotic Sagan later Sagan recalled Sagan wrote saucer says scientific scientists SETI Shklovskii skeptical solar system Soviet space speculation Stanley Miller stars student talk telescope television terrestrial theory thing thought tion told University Urey Urey's Velikovsky Venus Venusian Viking wanted writing Yerkes York young