Stephen Hawking, who was born on the anniversary of Galileo's death in 1942, holds Isaac Newton's chair as Lucasian
Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. Widely regarded as the most brilliant theoretical physicist
since Einstein, he is also the author of Black Holes and Baby Universes, a collection of essays published in 1993,
as well as numerous scientific papers and books.
Review
"He can explain the complexities of cosmological physics with an engaging combination of clarity and wit--
His is a brain of extraordinary power."
-- New York Review of Books
"Hawking has succeeded in writing two intertwined books, one a highly readable and popular account of the
role of time in physics, the other an in-depth review-- What makes all this so interesting is Hawking's ability
to convoy the essential physics in words alone."
-- Physics Today
"In his first work of popular science, Stephen Hawking proves himself to be a master of vivid clarity-- It's
difficult to think of anyone else living who could have put these mathematically formidable subjects more clearly."
-- Chicago Tribune
"A masterful summary of what physicists now think the world is made of and how it got that way."
-- The Wall Street journal
"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 (London)
"The famous theoretical physicist best known for his inquiries into the nature of black holes--turns out to
be as skilled a popular writer as he is a mathematician-- The result is probably the best single book on astrophysics
for the common reader. Thank you, Dr. Hawking!"
--Booklist
"Lively and provocative-- Hawking clearly possesses a natural teacher's gift - easy, good-natured humor and
an ability to illustrate highly complex propositions with analogies plucked from daily life."
-- The New York Times
"Charming and lucid--gives the general reader an opportunity to learn some deep science directly from the
source-- A book of sunny brilliance."
-- The New Yorker
RandomHouse Web Site, December, 2002
Summary
In the years since its publication in 1988, Stephen Hawking's A Brief History Of Time has established itself
as a landmark volume in scientific writing. It has become an international publishing phenomenon, translated into
forty languages and selling over nine million copies. The book was on the cutting edge of what was then known about
the nature of the universe, but since that time there have been extraordinary advances in the technology of macrocosmic
worlds. These observations have confirmed many of Professor Hawkin's theoretical predictions in the first edition
of his book, including the recent discoveries of the Cosmic Background Explorer satellite (COBE), which probed
back in time to within 300,000 years of the fabric of space-time that he had projected.
Eager to bring to his original text the new knowledge revealed by these many observations, as well as his recent
research, for this expanded edition Professor Hawking has prepared a new introduction to the book, written an entirely
new chapter on the fascinating subject of wormholes and time travel, and updated the original chapters.
In addition, to heighten understanding of complex concepts that readers may have found difficult to grasp despite
the clarity and wit of Professor Hawking's writing, this edition is enhanced throughout with more than 240 full-color
illustrations, including satellite images, photographs made made possible by spectacular technological advance
such as the Hubble Space Telescope, and computer generated images of three and four-dimensional realities. Detailed
captions clarify these illustrations, enable readers to experience the vastness of intergalactic space, the nature
of black holes, and the microcosmic world of particle physics in which matters and antimatter collide.
A classic work that now brings to the reader the latest understanding of cosmology, A Brief History Of Time is
the story of the ongoing search for t he tantalizing secrets at the heart of time and space.
