Books like

Books like Cosmos

12 books with a reading profile close to Cosmos by Carl Sagan. Deep, outward-looking and contemplative; a moderate read.

1

Aftermath

by Harald Jähner

Also outward-looking · history, narrative

Harald Jähner chronicles the decade between 1945 and 1955, examining the logistical and psychological survival of Germans in a nation fractured into occupation zones.
2

Germany

by Neil MacGregor

Also outward-looking · history, narrative

Neil MacGregor examines five centuries of German history through the lens of thirty specific objects and monuments.
3

Curry

by Lizzie Collingham

Also outward-looking · history, narrative

Lizzie Collingham traces the evolution of Indian cuisine by analyzing how centuries of migration, conquest, and trade dictated the contents of the subcontinent's kitchen.
4

A Concise History of Greece

by Richard Clogg

Also outward-looking · history, narrative

Richard Clogg examines the evolution of the Greek state from the initial stages of the national movement in the late eighteenth century through the political shifts of the early 2000s.
5

How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe

by Thomas Cahill

Also outward-looking · history, narrative

Thomas Cahill argues that during the fifth century, as Germanic tribes dismantled the Roman Empire and burned its libraries, the classical tradition survived only on the remote island of Ireland.
6

The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way

by Bill Bryson

Also outward-looking · history, narrative

Bill Bryson traces the development of the English language from its obscure Germanic origins into a dominant global tongue.
7

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Also outward-looking · narrative, theoretical

Neil deGrasse Tyson explains the fundamental principles of the cosmos, beginning with the singularity of the Big Bang and the rapid expansion of the early universe.
8

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History

by Elizabeth Kolbert

Also deep and outward-looking · history, narrative

Elizabeth Kolbert explains that Earth is currently undergoing a sixth mass extinction event, differing from the previous five because it is caused by human activity rather than natural disasters.
9

Color: A Natural History of the Palette

by Victoria Finlay

Also outward-looking · history, narrative

Victoria Finlay tracks the physical origins of artistic pigments by traveling to the remote geographical sources of the rainbow.
10

By the Sword

by Richard Cohen

Also outward-looking · history, narrative

Richard Cohen chronicles the technical and cultural evolution of swordplay from ancient Egypt to the modern Olympic Games.
11

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

by Candice Millard

Also outward-looking · history, narrative

Candice Millard recounts the 1881 assassination of James A.
12

Consider the Eel

by Richard Schweid

Also outward-looking · history, narrative

Richard Schweid tracks the biological lifecycle of the eel from its mysterious breeding grounds in the Sargasso Sea to its development in the freshwater rivers of Europe and North America.

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