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A Brief History of Time
 
 
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A Brief History of Time [Paperback]

Stephen Hawking (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (326 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

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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 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"This book marries a child's wonder to a genius's intellect. We journey into Hawking's universe while marveling at his mind."—Sunday Times, London

"Charming and lucid...[A book of] sunny brilliance."—The New Yorker

"Lively and provocative...Mr. Hawking clearly possesses a natural teacher's gifts—easy, good-natured humor and an ability to illustrate highly complex propositions with analogies plucked from daily life."—New York Times

Product Details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam; 10 Anv edition (September 1, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0553380168
  • ISBN-13: 978-0553380163
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (326 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
    #2 in  Books > Science > Physics
    #1 in  Books > Science > Astronomy & Space Science > Astronomy
    #2 in  Books > Science > Astronomy & Space Science > Cosmology

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326 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (326 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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78 of 89 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Many Different Angles, February 3, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: A Brief History of Time (Paperback)
Most people know that Hawking is a brilliant physicist, but after reading this book, one develops a respect for his other talents as well. Most noticeable is Stephen Hawking's ability to make very complicated ideas seem quite clear through good explanations, clear comparisons to real life events, and a soft humor. The organization of chapers mostly follows a chronological order, which gives a sense of history from Aristotle to present day, yet also establishes concepts in an order that builds on itself. One also realizes that A Brief History of Time was written by a writer, not a scientist who happened to put ideas to paper. This makes a big difference in the enjoyment of a book, since good information in a dry, dull form can be difficult to read (remember trying to keep your eyes open while reading a dull textbook in a subject of interest?). On the other hand, interesting information presented in an interesting manner make A Brief History of Time as much of a 'page-turner' as physics can be.

In summary, a fountain of information from galaxies and black holes to quantum mechanics presented in such a way that is not only as easy to understand as it can be, but is an enjoyable experience to read.

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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars It's not THAT good, nor is it THAT easy to read., January 30, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: A Brief History of Time (Paperback)
I don't care what anyone says, that book was not easy to get through. I have a degree in Math, and he does not give this stuff in layman's terms. Most of it, will eventually make sense if you can wrap your head around the hard to grasp principles, but he keeps adding more, and more to the theories and he will definitely lose you at some point.

Now don't get me wrong, it's obvious that we are dealing with complicated stuff, and he needs to discuss these things, but I just don't want you to think that this is an easy read. It's a necessary read, and I DO recommend you buy it, but don't think it will be easy.

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143 of 182 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars No master of the written word, December 6, 1999
By David Blake (Basingstoke, Hampshire, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: A Brief History of Time (Paperback)
Hawking is no master of the written word. Early on, he warns us not to consult his earlier books for more detail - because they are "quite unreadable". He also admits that, during the production of this book, his editor bombarded him with comments and questions. The impact of this editorial input is plain. The book wallows from unnecessarily long complex sentences written in the passive sense to snappy anecdotes from Hawking's life.

I found the early chapters very useful as overviews of the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. The middle chapters - on black holes and the origin of the Universe - were clearly written with enthusiasm.

However, that enthusiasm seemed to fade towards the end of the book. The chapter on the arrows of time seems to have been lifted from an old speech. Here's what I'm about to tell you: this is what I'm saying: this is what I've just told you.

Also, the explanation of the cosmological arrow of time left a lot of questions hanging. Question: What will happen when the Universe starts to contract - will people start to experience time running backwards? Answer: Intelligent life could not exist because, by then, all the stars will have burned out. Well, OK - but does that answer whether time is in reverse or not?

Chapter 10 introduces string theory. Clearly this is an incredibly complicated subject and not capable of being explained in a book entitled "Brief History". However, the way the subject is introduced and then dropped is tantalising. Apparently, string theories are only consistent if space-time has either ten or twenty-six dimensions. All these extra dimensions are curled up into space of a very small size. I, for one, would have liked more explanation of what that means.

In summary, a useful but frustrating book that varies in tone as the pages turn. I feel a better populist book would have resulted if Hawking had used a ghost writer to interpret his ideas, rather than simply submitting his own words to the scrutiny of an editor.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars The Hobo Philosopher
A Brief History of Time

By Stephen W. Hawking

Book Review

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Published 1 month ago by Richard E. Noble

3.0 out of 5 stars Just an amusing fiction
I'm an average girl with quite average education in Accounting. I did not like this book a lot. The same things I have read in my 5th grade book about astronomy and physics. Read more
Published 1 month ago by A. Brazhnykova

5.0 out of 5 stars Deep!
Stephen Hawking surveys the theories behind the history of time and the universe. He discusses how scientists have struggled with different ideas (it was thought that physics... Read more
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5.0 out of 5 stars Always fascinating.
I'm the only person I know that's fascinated with physics. When I attempted to discuss some of the theories in the book with my love ones, I was greeted with rolled eyes and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Christabel

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, not Great: Why you should buy a different book
Stephen Hawking is certainly one of the most well-known and well-respected theoretical physicists of the last 40 years. So it goes without saying that he knows his stuff. Read more
Published 2 months ago by A. T. Burke

5.0 out of 5 stars A brief history of time
Revisiting an old friend in this book good reading, updated and book is in great condition.
Published 5 months ago by Steven D. Shurtleff

3.0 out of 5 stars If you're into physics
Dr. Hawking is one smart cookie and has sold more books on physics that Madonna has about sex. However, if you are like me and have never had a physics class, I would strongly... Read more
Published 6 months ago by G. Johnson

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read for Everybody
One of my favourite books is A Brief History of Time, written by Stephen Hawking. This book is famous like its author. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Part Time Scholar

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book
5 stars from me. This is an excellent book, I would recommend it to anyone, though you might have to read it more than once to fully understand the depth. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Amit Taneja

5.0 out of 5 stars Prompt and great quality!
I bought this as a used book expecting there to be some wear and tear, but it looks brand new! Great quality product and very prompt shipping.
Published 8 months ago by M. Authement

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