Carl Sagan is a scientist of quality who is also a writer of quality. He has often shown that he can write better than most science writers, and he proves it again with The Cosmic Connection, a book that is very nearly perfect.

If The Cosmic Connection has a fault, it is that it derives a good deal from Sagan's previous books…. This new book could be described as a carefully watered-down summary of the previous writings, arranged for a general audience.

But that description would be unfair. What Sagan has done is to leave out the mathematics, insert a good deal of philosophy and let himself roam freely. For a lesser writer, that could be a disastrous combination. But since Sagan is a man of great intelligence, wit and insight, it is a success on every level.

To illustrate this with specific quotes is difficult because of...