| | Acknowledgments | p. vii |
| | Introduction | p. 1 |
| | Lost in the Cosmos | p. 7 |
| | How to Build a Universe | p. 9 |
| | Welcome to the Solar System | p. 19 |
| | The Reverend Evans's Universe | p. 29 |
| | The Size of the Earth | p. 41 |
| | The Measure of Things | p. 43 |
| | The Stone-Breakers | p. 63 |
| | Science Red in Tooth and Claw | p. 79 |
| | Elemental Matters | p. 97 |
| | A New Age Dawns | p. 113 |
| | Einstein's Universe | p. 115 |
| | The Mighty Atom | p. 133 |
| | Getting the Lead Out | p. 149 |
| | Muster Mark's Quarks | p. 161 |
| | The Earth Moves | p. 173 |
| | Dangerous Planet | p. 187 |
| | Bang! | p. 189 |
| | The Fire Below | p. 207 |
| | Dangerous Beauty | p. 224 |
| | Life Itself | p. 237 |
| | Lonely Planet | p. 239 |
| | Into the Troposphere | p. 255 |
| | The Bounding Main | p. 270 |
| | The Rise of Life | p. 287 |
| | Small World | p. 302 |
| | Life Goes On | p. 321 |
| | Good-bye to All That | p. 335 |
| | The Richness of Being | p. 350 |
| | Cells | p. 371 |
| | Darwin's Singular Notion | p. 381 |
| | The Stuff of Life | p. 397 |
| | The Road to us | p. 417 |
| | Ice Time | p. 419 |
| | The Mysterious Biped | p. 434 |
| | The Restless Ape | p. 453 |
| | Good-bye | p. 469 |
| | Notes | p. 479 |
| | Bibliography | p. 517 |
| | Index | p. 529 |