David Harland describes the historical development of particle physics, and explains, in a non-mathematical way, how particle physics has influenced the structure of the Universe from the very beginning of time.

From the reviews: "Harland’s nicely written book chronicles the rapidly developing field of cosmology-the place where astronomy and particle physics converge. … The book is liberally sprinkled with useful charts and photos that illustrate the more difficult concepts. It is written in a nontechnical yet accurate manner that will appeal to science buffs. … This reviewer is glad to have this book on his shelf. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates through graduate students; two-year technical program students." (T. D. Oswalt, CHOICE, February, 2004) "The book shows the historical development of two separate aspects of physics that come together to yield an understanding of the Universe as a whole. … The book is densely packed with information, referencing all important and relevant works, and showing the tedious nature of research and discovery and the perseverance required … . It gives an excellent review of the development of astronomy and particle physics and the key players involved in their discovery. … This book should be in all astronomy library collections." (Shirin Haque, The Observatory, Vol. 124 (1178), 2004) "Organised in two distinct sections, it is a more than adequate introduction into the history of man’s understanding of his Universe, both on the smallest quantum scales and the largest astronomical scales. It is this duality that sets the book apart from many of its peers. … there would be few recent books more suited to provide a first foray into the subject." (Roger Feasey, Auckland Astronomical Society Journal, November, 2003)

Explains to the reader how theories in both particle physics and cosmology have developed over an extended timeline to provide our current view of the big bang origin of the universe Demonstrates how discoveries relating to the very smallest and largest structures in the universe are intimately related Reviews the latest, most up-to-date research and discoveries in both particle physics and cosmology Highlights the continuing efforts to find a 'theory of everything', and the recent surprising discovery that the expansion of the universe is accelerating

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