Billions and Billions
 | |
| Author | Carl Sagan |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Collection of essays |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Ballantine Publishing Group |
Publication date | 1997 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 322 pp. |
| ISBN | 0-679-41160-7 |
| OCLC | 39234941 |
| Preceded by | The Demon-Haunted World |
| Followed by | The Varieties of Scientific Experience |
Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium, published by Random House in 1997, is the last book written by the renowned American astronomer and science popularizer Carl Sagan before his death in 1996.[1]
Overview
The book is a collection of essays Sagan wrote covering diverse topics like global warming, the population explosion, extraterrestrial life, morality, and the abortion debate. The last chapter is an account of his struggle with myelodysplasia, the disease which finally took his life in December 1996. Sagan's wife, Ann Druyan, wrote the epilogue of the book after his death.
"Billions and billions"
To help viewers of Cosmos distinguish between "millions" and "billions", Sagan stressed the "b". Sagan never did, however, say "billions and billions". The public's association of the phrase and Sagan came from a Tonight Show skit. Parodying Sagan's affect, Johnny Carson quipped "billions and billions".[2] The phrase has however, now become a humorous fictitious number—the Sagan.
References
- ↑ Sagan, Carl (1997). Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium. Random House. ISBN 0-679-41160-7.
- ↑ Carl Sagan takes questions more from his 'Wonder and Skepticism' CSICOP 1994 keynote, Skeptical Inquirer
External links
- A review of the book
- Video of skit from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson mentioning "billions and billions"
