Customer Reviews

The Illustrated Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

On his website, http://www.hawking.org.uk/info/iindex.html, Hawking says that he wrote this years ago, it does not reflect his latest views (contrary to the cover blurb), and that he did not endorse its publication. I just wanted to pass this information along. There's a lot more reviews mentioning this for an earlier edition of this book, without "illustrated" in the title, so if you want to buy the book look at those first. Setting aside the misinformation in the advertising (for which I'm giving it one star), and the change in Hawking's views, it's a reasonable book.

True, the book does not represent Hawking's latest views, but for those wishing to wade into the shallow end of Hawking's writing this is not bad.

Coming in at a short 112 pages, this heavily illustrated book gives one a opportunity to at least familiarize themselves with issues that Hawking gives much more detailed treatment to in his other works: A brief history of time, Black holes and Baby Universes and On the Shoulders of Giants.

One good for instance is his chapter on the arrow of time. In it Hawking observes that there is not only one but several arrows of time. Though he only talks about cosmic expansion, gravitation and the perceptual arrows of time (and not Kaon decay or the quantum arrow of time which may be the master arrow), one still gets the idea that there are physical reasons for why time assumes a directionality.

Another example is his final chapter on the quest for a theory of everything. Though now -- particularly with waning enthusiasm for string theory -- there is reasoned speculation that maybe there may never be a theory of everything, his chapter stills reflects how many view still view the search.

And finally, his chapter on black hole radiation harkens back to the research that originally put him on the map, his 1974 finding that black holes do indeed radiate and even given enough time will decay.

All together, Hawking's book shows the lucid explanatory power of one who both knows and knows how to explain.

So yes, by all means, read this book, but don't stop here and read the rest of his books too.

The general consensus is that the three greatest physicists of all time are Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. Unfortunately, Hawking is often known more for his lack of physical prowess than for his prowess in physics. He possesses a brilliant mind, and is also very effective at the writing of popular science. Hawking has an uncanny ability to make the incredibly complex ideas of astrophysics understandable to people who have difficulty balancing an algebraic equation.
Hawking is once again at the top of his game with this book. It is a collection of the seven popular lectures that he presented to the public. Their titles are:

*) Ideas about the universe
*) The expanding universe
*) Black holes
*) Black holes ain't so black
*) The origin and fate of the universe
*) The direction of time
*) The theory of everything

Each is fairly short; the ideas are explained without the reference to equations. There are many illustrations that give a visual explanation of concepts such as the curvature of space, the expansion and contraction of the universe and the direction of time.
If you have an interest in the fate of the universe but always felt that advanced astrophysics was beyond you, then this is the book for you. It doesn't explain everything, but it does show you the best current theories of how the universe started, how it is constructed and how it appears that it will end.

It gave me a much better understanding of physics and quantum mechanics than I had before. I would recommend it to anyone.

I've just read a copy of the hardcover version of "The Illustrated Theory of Everything" by Hawking, and I have to say that it is a very good (and easy) read for anybody who wants to know the basics of astrophysics (e.i. the origins of the universe, black holes, etc.). The book is really just a series of seven lectures by Hawking, first published in the mid-1990s under the title "The Cambridge Lectures." So, it should be noted that some of the content is out of date.

While many of the illustrations in the book are amazing, especially the Hubble pictures, they are mostly useless. Also, I noticed a few odd editorial problems in the book. For example, at one point it is stated that there are about "1,080" particles in the universe, but clearly this is meant to be 10^80 (10 to the 80th power) particles in the universe.

Still, this is a very interesting read. And since the book is so short (110 pages + a short forward and an intro), it wont take too much of your time - so, if this subject does end up grabbing your interest, you can go out and buy a book that's more in-depth and updated.

It is always interesting to read current ideas on the universe and what they think is going on. I always enjoy reading Stephen Hawking because his books are not too technical and can be read by the common person.

I like reading alot and if you do too then go ahead an d read this one. Many times I will get a book that goes way over my head in terminology. This book is easy to comprehend and makes you think about "what if's", and "could this really be". Sort of like X-files meets reality. A must have for any one who believs in an outer existence.