Joseph Silk is Savilian Professor of Astronomy in the Department of Physics, University of Oxford.

'To give an account of the history of the universe in a book fewer than 250 pages long is no easy task, but Joseph Silk has approached it with skill and obvious enthusiasm.' Patrick Moore, The Times Higher Education Supplement

• Prologue; 1. Building blocks of the cosmos; 2. The expansion of the universe; 3. Cosmic microwave background; 4. The first 10-43 seconds of the Universe; 5. Genesis of baryons and helium; 6. Testing the Big Bang; 7. Dark matter; 8. Baryonic dark matter; 9. Intergalactic matter; 10. Origin of structure; 11. Large-scale structure; 12. Galaxy formation; 13. What lies ahead.

Joseph Silk is Savilian Professor of Astronomy in the Department of Physics, University of Oxford.

'To give an account of the history of the universe in a book fewer than 250 pages long is no easy task, but Joseph Silk has approached it with skill and obvious enthusiasm.' Patrick Moore, The Times Higher Education Supplement

• Prologue; 1. Building blocks of the cosmos; 2. The expansion of the universe; 3. Cosmic microwave background; 4. The first 10-43 seconds of the Universe; 5. Genesis of baryons and helium; 6. Testing the Big Bang; 7. Dark matter; 8. Baryonic dark matter; 9. Intergalactic matter; 10. Origin of structure; 11. Large-scale structure; 12. Galaxy formation; 13. What lies ahead.

Joseph Silk is Savilian Professor of Astronomy in the Department of Physics, University of Oxford.

'To give an account of the history of the universe in a book fewer than 250 pages long is no easy task, but Joseph Silk has approached it with skill and obvious enthusiasm.' Patrick Moore, The Times Higher Education Supplement

• Prologue; 1. Building blocks of the cosmos; 2. The expansion of the universe; 3. Cosmic microwave background; 4. The first 10-43 seconds of the Universe; 5. Genesis of baryons and helium; 6. Testing the Big Bang; 7. Dark matter; 8. Baryonic dark matter; 9. Intergalactic matter; 10. Origin of structure; 11. Large-scale structure; 12. Galaxy formation; 13. What lies ahead.