[.ca] A Short History of the Universe (ISBN 0716760207)

From Amazon.com:
Most cosmology books are woefully lacking in illustrations, which is odd considering how our information about the universe is visual. Not so A Short History of the Universe, which continues Scientific American Library's policy of providing clear, authoritative, beautifully illustrated surveys of important topics. Joseph Silk is one of the most influential cosmologists, and he leads us on a tour of the universe with enough pictures, graphs, and equations that we can actually get an idea of what astrophysicists think is going on. Nature calls this book "the best introduction to cosmology for the general public."

Great introduction to cosmology:
The science of cosmology gives a quantitative foundation to our views about the universe. A Short History of the Universe explains in layman's terms and with excellent pictures how our theories of the structure of the universe have evolved, thus feeding the areas of philosophy and religion. What do we mean if we say that the universe has limits, but is also infinite? Why is it that the sun is considered to be halfway through its lifetime? How can the universe be expanding in every direction that we look when the earth is not at the center of the universe? These sorts of questions are answered--and answered well. If you have curiosity about how the heavens are studied, this book is definitely worth your time.