愛德華•哈裏森（Elward Harrison），是馬塞諸塞大學榮譽物理學和天文學教授，第一次世界大戰末生在倫敦。他在倫敦大學學習，第二次世界大戰時曾在英國軍隊服役。他曾是院子研究所和盧瑟福高能物理實驗室的科學傢。哈裏森教授寫過《宇宙的麵紗》、《黑夜：宇宙的一個謎》和大量促進現代宇宙學進步的科學論文。他還寫過早期宇宙學曆史和哲學的文章。

《宇宙學(第2版)》內容包括：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.