A Brief History Of Time: From Big Bang To Black Holes

Hawking, Stephen

ISBN 10: 0857501003 ISBN 13: 9780857501004

Publisher: Bantam, 2011

Was there a beginning of time? Could time run backwards? Is the universe infinite or does it have boundaries?

These are just some of the questions considered in the internationally acclaimed masterpiece by the world renowned physicist - generally considered to have been one of the world's greatest thinkers. It begins by reviewing the great theories of the cosmos from Newton to Einstein, before delving into the secrets which still lie at the heart of space and time, from the Big Bang to black holes, via spiral galaxies and strong theory. To this day A Brief History of Time remains a staple of the scientific canon, and its succinct and clear language continues to introduce millions to the universe and its wonders.

This new edition includes recent updates from Stephen Hawking with his latest thoughts about the No Boundary Proposal and offers new information about dark energy, the information paradox, eternal inflation, the microwave background radiation observations, and the discovery of gravitational waves.

It was published in tandem with the app, Stephen Hawking's Pocket Universe.

Review:

Stephen Hawking, one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists in history, wrote the modern classic A Brief History of Time to help non-scientists understand fundamental questions of physics and our existence: where did the universe come from? How and why did it begin? Will it come to an end, and if so, how? Hawking attempts to deal with these questions (and where we might look for answers) using a minimum of technical jargon. Among the topics gracefully covered are gravity, black holes, the Big Bang, the nature of time and physicists' search for a grand unifying theory. This is deep science; the concepts are so vast (or so tiny) that they cause mental vertigo while reading, and one can't help but marvel at Hawking's ability to synthesize this difficult subject for people not used to thinking about things like alternate dimensions. The journey is certainly worth taking for as Hawking says, the reward of understanding the universe may be a glimpse of "the mind of God". --Therese Littleton, Amazon.com

Review:

"This app/book version of Hawking's famous laymen book is just an amazing piece of learning. This makes much more accessible and understandable the complex and awesome topics dealt by Hawking as he explains how our universe works. I am just in awe at how creative he is to produce one of a kind e-book like this. The pace, illustrations and connections of topics within the book are so helpful and so appropriate for the new generation used to tweets and small bites of information. You can flip over some topics when you have some time, learn some amazing fact, and come back later which no rush or worry about how fast you are progressing through the book. Hope other books on complex topics are translated to this format. And I love the updates of the latest science since the publication of the original book. We have learned so much in the last decade that I agree with Hawking, it is an honour to live in this times." (Ribozyme)

"Master of the Universe... One scientist's courageous voyage to the frontiers of the Cosmos" (Newsweek)

"This book marries a child's wonder to a genius's intellect. We journey into Hawking's universe, while marvelling at his mind" (The Sunday Times)

"He can explain the complexities of cosmological physics with an engaging combination of clarity and wit... His is a brain of extraordinary power" (Observer)

"To follow such a fine mind as it exposes such great problems is an exciting experience" (The Sunday Times)