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John Gribbin’s Companion to the Cosmos (Weidenfeld &
Nicolson, £20,
ISBN 0 297 81725 6) is going to become a firm friend. It is unusual in being a
very readable dictionary. Not only is it packed full of a universe of
accessible
information; it also includes many mini-biographies and a time-line. Gribbin’s
easy style soon has you engrossed and darting from entry to entry. This,
however, revealed a few errors. Gribbin is particularly good on recent
developments, but don’t rely on this book as your only buddy. Try that faithful
old friend, the Oxford Concise Science Dictionary (£7.99,
ISBN 0 19 280033
7). First issued over ten years ago, it has been brought up to date in a new
edition that adds a thousand new terms.