To bake a universe, you’ll need a heaping pile of nothing. That’s right, not a single thing!

Just make sure you have enough … Alec Carvlin breaks down the Big Bang into the steps of a recipe, from the formation of quarks and atoms (preheat your oven to Absolute Hot) to the compression of gases into stars and planets (just set your timer for 180 million years). Carvlin expertly balances mind-boggling facts with snappy storytelling, and Brian Biggs’s bold and contagiously cheerful illustrations bring the infinite down to the bite-sized. How to Bake a Universe is an accessible and playful authority on the formation of the universe and a heartfelt commentary on how to live in it.