爱德华•哈里森（Elward Harrison），是马塞诸塞大学荣誉物理学和天文学教授，第一次世界大战末生在伦敦。他在伦敦大学学习，第二次世界大战时曾在英国军队服役。他曾是院子研究所和卢瑟福高能物理实验室的科学家。哈里森教授写过《宇宙的面纱》、《黑夜：宇宙的一个谜》和大量促进现代宇宙学进步的科学论文。他还写过早期宇宙学历史和哲学的文章。

《宇宙学(第2版)》内容包括：This second edition of cosmology： the science of the universe revises and extends the first edition published in 1981. much has happened since the first edition；many developments have occurred, and cosmology has become a wider field of research.as before, the treatment is elementary yet broad in scope, and the aim is to present an outline that appeals to the thoughtful person at a level not requiring an advanced knowledge in the natural sciences. cosmol-ogy has many faces, scientific and nonscien-tific； in this work the primary emphasis is on cosmology as a science, but the important historical, philosophical, and theological aspects are not ignored. mathematics is avoided except in a few places, mostly at the end of chapters, and the treatment is varied enough to meet the needs of both those who enjoy and do not enjoy mathe-matics.at the end of each chapter are two sections entitled reflections and projects.the reflections section presents topics for reflection and discussion. the projects section raises questions and issues that a challenged reader might care to tackle.cosmology impels us to ask deep questions,read widely, and think deeply. it is not the sort of subject that lends itself readily to simple yes and no answers. on most issues there are conflicting arguments to be inves-tigated, weighed, rejected, accepted, or modified according to one's personal tastes and beliefs. cosmology challenges the mind, shapes our way of thinking about the world in which we live, and leaves impressions and ideas that last a lifetime.