Although this book has been available for some time, it is only now
appearing in an English edition. This gives me the opportunity of adding
a few explanations. I have not struggled to include the very latest,
tentative results. I have, instead, concentrated on presenting
cosmological ideas to interested non- experts. They often encounter
considerable difficulties when attempts are made to explain even
long-established results in this field, so the aim of this book is to
provide them with help. Naturally, I have also tried to include modern
findings. To help with the explanation I have made use of the fictitious
inhabi- tants of Flatland, occasional historical digressions, and the
dreams of Herr Meyer. Incidentally, I chose this name, which is very
common in German- speaking countries, to suggest an average citizen,
just like the man next door. I should like to thank Springer-Verlag for
deciding to publish this book in the language in which many of the
discoveries described here were first formulated. I also thank my
translator, Mr Storm Dunlop. Finally I thank Hanna Tettenborn for
compiling the index.