Product Description

Was there a beginning of time?, Could time run backwards? and Is the universe infinite are just some of the questions considered in this book for the non-scientific layman. The author begins by reviewing the great theories of the cosmos from Newton to Einstein and then delves into the secrets which lie at the heart of space and time.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2522 in Books
• Published on: 1995-04-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Amazon.co.uk 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

From the Inside Flap
Stephen Hawking is as much in the headlines today as he was in 1988, when his book A Brief History of Time shot into the bestseller lists all over the world, staying there for some 237 weeks – more than four years. It has gone on to sell 10 million copiesand its incredible success has transformed the publishing of popular science. Hawking himself has become an international celebrity, constantly in demand on the global lecture circuit as well as appearing in The Simpsons and becoming the subject of documentaries such as Master of the Universe, commissioned by Channel 4 to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of publication.

This special edition marking the twentieth anniversary of the book's original ground-breaking publication is destined to become a coveted collectors' item.

From the Back Cover
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 an internationally acclaimed masterpiece which 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.

Customer Reviews

An excellent introduction to difficult topics.
This is a truly excellent book. Why? Because it covers a wide range of cutting edge physics and makes it more or less understandable to everyone.

I notice that one reviewer has called this book "A Con Job" and goes on to ask "If he [Hawking] is such a great genius why do we never come across his name in the history of science? What major breakthroughs has he made? ... One reviewer admitted that he [Hawking] did not understand more than 60% of the book. I certainly didn't understand more than 10%". Well let's answer the first part shall we? Stephen Hawking provided a mathmatical proof for the big-bang theory and has done extensive research into the workings of black-holes. Are these not major breakthroughs? I certainally think so. The fact that the reviwer understood less than 10% of the content perhaps says more about his intelligence that the quality of the book.

The book is fairly short (240 pages) and this is to its credit - it is long enough to introduce and explain difficult concepts, but short enough not to bore you.

All in all, this is an great book - give it a try!

Eye-opening.
Like so many, I have always said I'd read Brief History. So i bit the bullet and delved in...

Now I'm not a mathematician, or a physisist. Not since GSCE's have i pondered over the equations that were set down over the last few hundred years. Luckily Stephen Hawking knew this when he wrote A Brief History of Time. In fact that was his driving force.

It proved to be, from the start, an enjoyable read. Doesn't really say much does it? "An enjoyable read", sort of reaction you'd have to a Spot the Dog book. Well that's how it starts. But I got through that to discover mind blowing theories and genuine enjoyment in reading Hawkings.

Yes there are a lot of things to get your head round, things that are complicated and at times uncomprehensible. But this is said in terms of altering your view on our world and universe, not in terms of being far too complicated and above us.

It's not for everyone, but if it's for you its an enthralling read. Not one to be left on the coffee table.

Exploring the mind of God
Sometimes we are used to study physics like mathematics, like an abstract subject. But what happens when we take our equations, our knowledge of the nature and we put them together, creating a unitarian view of the world around us? We are not just studying an equation, we are studying physics, the Universe's behaviour and, finally, understanding the meaning of it all. And Hawking does make this happen without any unusual/tough matematical formula!