Before the Big Bang

Author Laura Mersini-Houghton
Narrator Xe Sands
Publisher Random House
Publish Date 21 July 2022
Run Time 5 hours and 46 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Cosmology and the universe, Physics, Popular science, Quantum physics (quantum mechanics and quantum field theory), Relativity physics, Science: general issues.

This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book.

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

What came before the Big Bang, and what exists outside of the universe it created?

Until recently, scientists could only guess at what lay past the edge of spacetime. But as pioneering theoretical physicist Laura Mersini-Houghton explains, today new scientific tools are giving us the ability to peer beyond the limits of our universe and test our theories about what is there. Her groundbreaking research suggests that we sit in a quantum landscape whose peaks and valleys hide a multitude of other universes, and whose topography holds the secret to the origins of existence itself. Recent evidence has revealed the signatures of one such sibling universe in our own night sky, confirming Mersini-Houghton's theoretical work and offering humbling proof that our universe is just one member of an unending cosmic family.

A mind-expanding journey through the multiverse, Beyond the Big Bang will reshape our understanding of humanity's place in the unfathomable vastness of the cosmos.

© Laura Mersini-Houghton 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Critics Review

A fascinating account

SIR ROGER PENROSE, Nobel laureate

What if our universe, vast though it may be, is but an infinitesimal fragment of reality? What would this ‘multiverse’ be like? And how could we possibly test the idea? There is no better guide to the bizarre, and sometimes paradoxical, cosmic super-realm than Laura Mersini-Houghton

PAUL DAVIES, author of What's Eating the Universe?

From one of the world’s most renowned cosmologists, Before the Big Bang offers insights into the Big Bang and, beyond it, into the majestic world of a quantum multiverse

STEPHON ALEXANDER, author of Fear of a Black Universe

A fascinating and unusual hybrid of pop science and memoir… The author’s explanation of such exotic ideas is vivid and good-humoured, and much enlivened by tableaux from her education in Albania

Daily Telegraph, 5*

The age-old cosmological question of how and why the Big Bang happened has never been tackled with such aplomb

Daily Telegraph, *Books of the Year*

More from the same

Narrator

About xigxag

Experience the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed for seamless discovery, purchase, and enjoyment of your favorite titles. Our flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less, providing affordable prices and the best audiobook deals without requiring a subscription. Perfect for gifting, xigxag also features convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.

Beyond the listening experience, xigxag stands as an exciting alternative to big tech, embodying a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we ensure a guilt-free listening experience from a leader in audiobook innovation.

Effortlessly search audiobooks, access honest audiobook reviews that evaluate both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. Whether you prefer to download or stream top audiobook titles, xigxag provides the best possible listening experience anytime, anywhere, on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Discover the future of audiobooks today.