A study of the anthropic cosmological principle, with reference to various scientific disciplines. The work also includes chapters on the nature of life, extraterrestrial intelligence and the quantum theory.

`an engaging book ... practically a universal education in both the history of modern science and the history of the Universe ... will be much quoted, much debated and much praised' Nature `a feast: the kind of book which tells you everything you want to know about everything' The Economist `I was infuriated by it, disagreed with it and loved reading it.' Timothy Ferris, New York Times Book Review `in the speculative and intellectual richness of its pages, this book is probably unsurpassed' Peter Atkins `a masterly exposition of what seems bound to become one of the most important developments to have taken place in physical science' TLS `Intriguing analysis of new scientific thinking.' Sydney Times `unique and wide-ranging book ... The reader is taken on an eclectic study of many scientific disciplines and is presented with a revealing picture of the structure of the physical world solely in terms of its invariant constants. There are also fascinating chapters on the definition and nature of life, the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence and the interpretation of quantum theory in relation to the existence of observers.' Europe & Astronomy 1992 `If you get a kick out of cosmic coincidences The Anthropic Cosmological Principle ... is definitely for you. The "anthropic" idea, which is that our very existence may explain why the Universe is the way it is, is an extraordinary one. So too is Barrow and Tipler's account.' New Scientist

Professor of Astronomy at the University of Sussex, John D. Barrow's principal research interest is the early history of the universe. He is well known for his bestselling popular science books including Theories of Everything, Pi in the Sky, and The Artful Universe (OUP, 1995). Frank J. Tipler Professor of Mathematical Physics at Tulane University, New Orleans. He is the author of The Physics of Immortality: Modern Cosmology, God and the Resurrection of the Dead, Macmillan, 1995, £20, in which he presents a scientific proof of the existence of God.