A penetrating, mesmerizing biography of a scientific icon


''Absolutely fascinating . . . Davidson has done a remarkable job.''-Sir Arthur C. Clarke


''Engaging . . . accessible, carefully documented . . . sophisticated.''-Dr. David Hollinger for The New York Times Book Review


''Entertaining . . . Davidson treats [the] nuances of Sagan's complex life with understanding and sympathy.''-The Christian Science Monitor


''Excellent . . . Davidson acts as a keen critic to Sagan's works and their vast uncertainties.''-Scientific American


''A fascinating book about an extraordinary man.''-Johnny Carson


''Davidson, an award-winning science writer, has written an absorbing portrait of this Pied Piper of planetary science. Davidson thoroughly explores Sagan's science, wrestles with his politics, and plumbs his personal passions with a telling instinct for the revealing underside of a life lived so publicly.''-Los Angeles Times


Carl Sagan was one of the most celebrated scientists of this century—the handsome and alluring visionary who inspired a generation to look to the heavens and beyond. His life was both an intellectual feast and an emotional rollercoaster. Based on interviews with Sagan's family and friends, including his widow, Ann Druyan; his first wife, acclaimed scientist Lynn Margulis; and his three sons, as well as exclusive access to many personal papers, this highly acclaimed life story offers remarkable insight into one of the most influential, provocative, and beloved figures of our time—a complex, contradictory prophet of the Space Age.