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A quirky layperson's guide to how things work in the Universe
About the author
Lynda La Plante was born in Liverpool. She is the author of over forty novels, all of which have been bestsellers. She trained for the stage at RADA and worked with the National theatre and RSC before becoming a television actress. She then turned to writing - and made her breakthrough with the phenomenally successful TV series Widows.
Lynda's original script for the much-acclaimed Prime Suspect won awards from BAFTA, Emmys, British Broadcasting and Royal Television Society as well as the 1993 Edgar Allan Poe Award.
Lynda is an honorary fellow of the British Film Institute and was awarded the BAFTA Dennis Potter Best Writer's Award in 2000. In 2008, she was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to Literature, Drama and Charity.
Lynda La Plante is the first layperson to be awarded an honorary fellowship to the Forensic Science Society. In 2020 she launched the acclaimed Listening to the Dead podcast with former CSI Cass Sutherland, exploring forensic science and its impact on solving crimes.
Summary
How did the Earth get to be the way it is? Just like all of us, it’s a product of its ancestors.
Additional text
‘[Jillian Scudder’s] excellent debut book is all about making complex concepts, if not exactly easy to understand, then at least a little easier to grasp. … In her enthralling cosmic journey through space and time, astrophysicist Jillian Scudder discusses our home planet’s place in the universe. … The result is a highly readable primer for a basic understanding of phenomena such as shooting stars, black holes, galaxies and the origins of the universe. Beyond the flawless presentation of known facts and current thinking, Scudder explores further by positing counterfactuals and thought experiments. … The real triumph of Scudder’s Astroquizzical is that it brings high-altitude, notionally abstract ideas to the general reader, presented in an entertaining and accessible way. For those more familiar with the universe it will also help to fill some of the knowledge gaps created by advancements in current thinking. In short, it should be required reading for every engineer and technologist.’
