[1] The book's blurb referred to it as "the passionate story of one leading scientist's effort to look behind the cosmic veil and explain how the universe began".

The book was generally well-received upon release, with critics noting the toned down use of complex mathematics in favor of featuring its explanations through diagrams and analogies instead.

Marcus Chown of New Scientist contemporaneously criticized the rate at which "[t]echnical terms are tossed about[...] making the book tough going for anyone not familiar with the basic lexicon of physics".

Despite its perceived nonlineraity, he nevertheless praised the title and recommended it for the scientific relevance, deeming the book's core "arguably the most significant new development in cosmology for half a century" should the model prove true.

In April 2015, physicist and Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg included The Inflationary Universe in a personal list of "the 13 best science books for the general reader".