The Complete Cosmicomics

The first section of this book is 5 stars- it's absolutely brilliant and astonishing. I was captivated. The latter sections of the book are still interesting and beautiful but don't have the same kind of charm as the first section.

Italo Calvino tells stories about beings engaging with the universe in the early days of the universe's existence. The stories hinge on scientific knowledge of the sixties about the Earth's formation and the first development of life and atoms and molecules. The stories are fun and surprising while also being science-based (at least the science-of-the-time-based).