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Sum and Substance: You, Your Universe, and Your World
Sum and Substance
is a concise, factual, and lucid summary of the history of our universe and mankind, giving broad understanding of the past, present, and future. Richly illustrated and augmented by insightful quotes from great thinkers, the book offers the ambitious hope that if you spend eight hours reading it, you may learn more than in any other eight hours of your life!
This book has been highly praised by reviewers from around the United States. Following are some of their comments.
“A timeless classic that will resonate with readers for generations to come.”
“An excellent read, with the broadest scope of any book I’ve ever read.”
“The book does not try to tell you what to think, but instead to provide information that helps you reach your own conclusions with a stronger foundation.”
“A real page turner. Could not put it down.”
“The photo illustrations are germane and well-chosen. The writing is persuasive, crisp, to the point.”
“The most informative 8-hour read you’ll ever have.”
“I have never read any other book like this, one that tries to tell the whole story.”
“An easy read for all humans to truly understand our uniqueness within space and time.”
“A great read for anyone who is looking for an effective book to help them understand the world and history.”
“A thought-provoking read.”
“The scope felt just right to provide perspective on our lives in relation to others.”
“Organized for the benefit of the inquisitive but non-scientific mind (all in less than 300 pages.)”
“The perfect gift for any friend who loves to read, reflect, and think.”
“What an awesome book! It should be required reading no later than every college student’s junior year.”
“The book is full of information and insights that are sure to help people grow their understanding of their reality and the world they live in.”
“I wish everyone could read it and be motivated to help meet today’s and future challenges.”
“Wit and wisdom inform every page.”
“A masterpiece!”
This book has been highly praised by reviewers from around the United States. Following are some of their comments.
“A timeless classic that will resonate with readers for generations to come.”
“An excellent read, with the broadest scope of any book I’ve ever read.”
“The book does not try to tell you what to think, but instead to provide information that helps you reach your own conclusions with a stronger foundation.”
“A real page turner. Could not put it down.”
“The photo illustrations are germane and well-chosen. The writing is persuasive, crisp, to the point.”
“The most informative 8-hour read you’ll ever have.”
“I have never read any other book like this, one that tries to tell the whole story.”
“An easy read for all humans to truly understand our uniqueness within space and time.”
“A great read for anyone who is looking for an effective book to help them understand the world and history.”
“A thought-provoking read.”
“The scope felt just right to provide perspective on our lives in relation to others.”
“Organized for the benefit of the inquisitive but non-scientific mind (all in less than 300 pages.)”
“The perfect gift for any friend who loves to read, reflect, and think.”
“What an awesome book! It should be required reading no later than every college student’s junior year.”
“The book is full of information and insights that are sure to help people grow their understanding of their reality and the world they live in.”
“I wish everyone could read it and be motivated to help meet today’s and future challenges.”
“Wit and wisdom inform every page.”
“A masterpiece!”
307 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 7, 2024
22 people are currently reading
4986 people want to read
About the author
William L. Martin
1 book15 followersBill Martin has Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University (1961 and 1962) and, in 1975, a Master’s in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He began his career in the United States defense industry as a designer of digital computers and military command and control systems. He led a major commercial Air Traffic Control program and was principal investigator of a NASA sponsored study of ultra-reliable computing. As a participant in highly classified programs, he gave senior-level briefings at the Pentagon and NATO headquarters. In the Sloan School of Management at MIT, he created a comprehensive system dynamics model of the future of health care in the United States. He taught a course in advanced communications statistics at the University of Southern California (USC) and for twenty years taught college-level mathematics as an avocation with highest ratings from his students. Later, he moved to Silicon Valley and was vice-president of engineering for an electronic test equipment firm. He managed the development of one of the first computer-based circuit board testers which had over $100 million in sales. Overall, he served as manager of more than 5000 people. In retirement, he tutored local students in mathematics. He successfully ran for public office in a highly competitive race and served as a trustee at Sierra College, Placer County, California. He attended six Rose Bowls (American football) and one Final Four (college basketball). Bill lives in Northern California with Linda, his wife of 62 years. His two children and their spouses live nearby. This is his first book.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 14, 2024
"Sum and Substance: Comprehending Yourself, Your Universe, and Your World" by William L. Martin is an absolute revelation. Martin's profound insights and eloquent prose make this book a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them. With clarity and wisdom, he guides readers on a journey of self-discovery, offering invaluable perspectives on life, love, and the human experience. Each page is filled with thought-provoking ideas that linger long after the book is closed, inspiring profound reflection and personal growth. Martin's masterful blend of philosophy, psychology, and spirituality makes "Sum and Substance" a timeless classic that will resonate with readers for generations to come.
June 18, 2025
Thank you to author William Martin for this FREE Kindle copy of Sum and Substance.
A great compilation of facts and theories and unknowns of the incomprehensibly small to infinitely large place we are a part of... Or are we? Well, maybe not for much longer anyway, relatively speaking.
Well written, organized and edited with a nice cover design, the author presents a lot of information to think about and ponder, providing an opportunity to see the collective thought and current knowledge to the questions we all have. A good read for folk who have interest in peeking outside their little bubbles.
A great compilation of facts and theories and unknowns of the incomprehensibly small to infinitely large place we are a part of... Or are we? Well, maybe not for much longer anyway, relatively speaking.
Well written, organized and edited with a nice cover design, the author presents a lot of information to think about and ponder, providing an opportunity to see the collective thought and current knowledge to the questions we all have. A good read for folk who have interest in peeking outside their little bubbles.
August 7, 2024
I got a free copy for Kindle to review.
Do you like fun facts, interesting tidbits, or anything similar? If so, this may be the book for you! Each chapter has a general theme i.e. numbers, and then goes into a lot of cool information about said topic. To me it reads like someone with ADHD talking about a subject they love, I mean this is a positive way. It reads so smoothly. I picked up all kinds of interesting knowledge. I love that this can be read on-and-off again, so any time you want to avoid doom scrolling, you can just pick up where you left off and learn a little. I wouldn't mind this style book on a single subject, it's like a fun textbook that is easy to understand.
Do you like fun facts, interesting tidbits, or anything similar? If so, this may be the book for you! Each chapter has a general theme i.e. numbers, and then goes into a lot of cool information about said topic. To me it reads like someone with ADHD talking about a subject they love, I mean this is a positive way. It reads so smoothly. I picked up all kinds of interesting knowledge. I love that this can be read on-and-off again, so any time you want to avoid doom scrolling, you can just pick up where you left off and learn a little. I wouldn't mind this style book on a single subject, it's like a fun textbook that is easy to understand.
March 22, 2023
I felt like I was taking a trip back to all my science classes growing up! There’s so many mind-blowing, thought provoking facts throughout the book. It is conveniently divided into sections to help with comprehension of the timeline of our planet thus far and what we could expect to see in the future. Considering the amount of content covered in this book, it is very well summarized and organized.
April 13, 2023
Wow! An incredibly impressive book that contains so much information in a rapid machine gun manner. The author said I'd learn more in eight hours than I ever had before and he was right. From the very beginning to the end ... about time, space, size ... the earth, the universe. This is a book that I'll be picking up again and trying to process it more slowly and with more insight. It's a fun and exciting read!
I won a copy of this book in a Goodread giveaway for this honest review.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodread giveaway for this honest review.
December 29, 2023
Sun and Substance
This book was torture. It was an astronomy book, a history book, an earth science book, a biology book… It was a disjointed mess that has no purpose than to have a various group of topics that were discussed. It was supposed to help comprehend these topics. But the author kept talking about things and saying things like: it’s a number too high to comprehend. Fail!
#GoodreadsGiveaway
This book was torture. It was an astronomy book, a history book, an earth science book, a biology book… It was a disjointed mess that has no purpose than to have a various group of topics that were discussed. It was supposed to help comprehend these topics. But the author kept talking about things and saying things like: it’s a number too high to comprehend. Fail!
#GoodreadsGiveaway
June 15, 2025
A thoroughly enjoyable read packed with interesting information and wonderful quotes, along with thoughtful insights. Very well-organized and engaging. Ideas and facts are regrouped and reiterated as needed to bring home various points. If you don’t know much about anything or do know a lot about everything, you probably would find some useful information or a discover a different perspective. The author’s presentation is truly engaging.
December 14, 2023
Good book
April 18, 2024
This book was well written and organized! While also keeping things interesting.
October 27, 2024
Very interesting perspective on a lot of stuff!
July 4, 2025
Covers a Huge Amount of Information
This is a review of “Sum and Substance: You, Your Universe, and Your World” by William L. Martin. I don’t know quite what I expected, but this wasn’t quite it. It covers science and history. It seems to be written for the layperson, covering a lot of science, which I thought was explained well. I think the best thing for a potential buyer is to read the free sample, and if you like it, I think you will like the book. I am giving it 3 stars, but depending on what you are after, I can easily see it being given more.
The book covers the origin of the universe, galaxy, and solar system. It covers evolution from nothing to hominids. It covers the development of human culture and civilization. This includes economic systems, varieties of government, and religions. It covers the biosphere, including climate change. As you can see, it covers a huge number of topics. It is a general summary but thorough, although there are a few suspected exceptions in individual cases. They wouldn’t be necessary to include in a book such as this.
The author includes a bibliography, but as he says, he doesn’t make any claim of completeness. It does not have an index, but it does have a descriptive chapter titles, so that you can tell what is likely to be covered in each.
I received this book for free via Goodreads First Reads.
This is a review of “Sum and Substance: You, Your Universe, and Your World” by William L. Martin. I don’t know quite what I expected, but this wasn’t quite it. It covers science and history. It seems to be written for the layperson, covering a lot of science, which I thought was explained well. I think the best thing for a potential buyer is to read the free sample, and if you like it, I think you will like the book. I am giving it 3 stars, but depending on what you are after, I can easily see it being given more.
The book covers the origin of the universe, galaxy, and solar system. It covers evolution from nothing to hominids. It covers the development of human culture and civilization. This includes economic systems, varieties of government, and religions. It covers the biosphere, including climate change. As you can see, it covers a huge number of topics. It is a general summary but thorough, although there are a few suspected exceptions in individual cases. They wouldn’t be necessary to include in a book such as this.
The author includes a bibliography, but as he says, he doesn’t make any claim of completeness. It does not have an index, but it does have a descriptive chapter titles, so that you can tell what is likely to be covered in each.
I received this book for free via Goodreads First Reads.
October 14, 2024
Interesting look at self and surroundings.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews