A Brief History of Time | 
| Author: Stephen Hawking
Publisher: Bantam
Category: Book
List Price: $18.00
Buy Used: $4.95
You Save: $13.05 (72%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  339 reviews
Sales Rank: 1985
Media: Paperback
Edition: 10 Anv
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6
ISBN: 0553380168
Dewey Decimal Number: 523.1
EAN: 9780553380163
ASIN: 0553380168
Publication Date: September 1, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
Stephen Hawking, one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists in history, wrote the modern classic A Brief History of Time to help nonscientists understand the questions being asked by scientists today: 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 reveal these questions (and where we're looking 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; these concepts are so vast (or so tiny) as to cause 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
Product Description
A Brief History of Time, published in 1988, was a landmark volume in science writing and in world-wide acclaim and popularity, with more than 9 million copies in print globally. The original edition was on the cutting edge of what was then known about the origins and nature of the universe. But the ensuing years have seen extraordinary advances in the technology of observing both the micro—and the macrocosmic world—observations that have confirmed many of Hawking's theoretical predictions in the first edition of his book.
Now a decade later, this edition updates the chapters throughout to document those advances, and also includes an entirely new chapter on Wormholes and Time Travel and a new introduction. It make vividly clear why A Brief History of Time has transformed our view of the universe.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 334 more reviews...
 Leaves you in awe May 15, 2008
book that sold millions of copies and one wonders how many people read it and of those, how many actually understood it all. I have a scientific education (chemistry), but I frankly admit I did not get it all. It is difficult to explain what is in the book, but is in essence about where we came from and what we are heading to with regard to the universe, time, space and matter. The book is very well written, with a sense of humor and trying to explain the nearly inexplicable to the layman; I could follow large chunks of the text, but sometimes it is just too difficult to comprehend. This made me think: is Stephen Hawking's disadvantage (being locked up in his own body) also his disadvantage? He probably has more time than most people to turn into himself and contemplate on such extremely complex items as black holes, wormholes and the (in)finity of the universe. A book that leaves you in awe.
Difficult subject made easier to understand April 13, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
It is a wonder to me that how an intellect like Stephen Hawking can explain the complex subject in terms an ordinary person with basic knowledge of physics can understand. I bought this book after having seen his presentation of the subject on TV and am so pleased with it that I shall treasure it.
 A brief history of time. April 5, 2008
This is a great book,for those seeking answers,it is eaey to understand,and for those seeking to establish reality in their belief system,this is a great place to start.
 Disappointed March 16, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I agree with the reviewers who were disappointed in this book and don't understand its success. I am a well-educated person with a science background and I was able to grasp only about 80% of what he talked about.
The book wasn't well written. One of the most frustrating things he did -mainly in the first few chapters- was explain a theory and then, a few pages later, tell you that it had been disproved. Some things he explains in great detail and others he does not. The illustrations aren't very helpful. I also was a little sick of all his personal interjections - he thinks quite highly of himself. Obviously, the man is a world-renowned physicist, so you would think he wouldn't need to toot his own horn, but...
Do I need to talk about this book February 9, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a fine book for people who love physics of those who are curious about the universe they are in. A great book by a great scientist.
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