Origin story - David Christian

David Christian, creator of Big History ('My favourite course of all time' Bill Gates), brings us the epic story of the universe and our place in it, from 13.8 billion years ago to the remote future

'Nails home the point: Life is a
miracle ... A compelling history of everything' Washington Post
'Spectacular' Carlo Rovelli

How
did we get from the Big Bang to today's staggering complexity, in which
seven billion humans are connected into networks powerful enough to
transform the planet? And why, in comparison, are our closest primate
relatives reduced to near-extinction?

Big History creator David
Christian gives the answers in a mind-expanding cosmological detective
story told on the grandest possible scale. He traces how, during eight
key thresholds, the right conditions have allowed new forms of
complexity to arise, from stars to galaxies, Earth to homo sapiens,
agriculture to fossil fuels. This last mega-innovation gave us an energy
bonanza that brought huge benefits to mankind, yet also threatens to
shake apart everything we have created.

'Rather like the Big Bang, the book is awe-inspiring ... Superb' The Times

'With
fascinating ideas on every page and the page-turning energy of a good
thriller, this is a landmark work' Sir Ken Robinson, author of The Element