It's the very messiness of life in the trenches of cosmology that makes Origins so useful. Forced to face the limits of science, many of [the authors'] interview subjects speak revealingly about the prejudices, the beliefs, and the aesthetic preferences that help shape their views of the universe...When asked: What kind of universe would you design, if you could have any kind at all? Most of the cosmologists suddenly sparkle.
-- James Gleick The Atlantic
There is no better way to understand the current confusions of the world's top cosmologists than by reading this timely and admirable anthology.
-- Martin Gardner Washington Post Book World
A fascinating, surprisingly accessible and altogether human collection of conversations with today's leading cosmologists...Origins is composed of a lucid 49-page introduction to the field of cosmology, followed by question and answer interviews with 27 prominent cosmologists...Concepts...may stagger the average reader on first impact. Lightman is perfectly at ease with them. Arcane cosmic phenomena...are meat and drink to him. Readers lucky enough to sit near him at this intellectual banquet table will share the physicist's exquisite pleasure in the feast.
-- John Wilkes Los Angeles Times
Origins...consists mainly of interviews with 27 of the world's leading cosmologists, who talk about their childhoods, early influences, their college careers, and their discoveries. They also give their opinions on recent developments in cosmology, such as inflation theory and quantum gravity. These interviews are...colorful and give considerable insight into the lives of the cosmologists...A charming a delightful book to read.
-- Choice