Stephen Hawking A Life in Science [Paperback]

Michael White (Author), John Gribbin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Joseph Henry Press Books | Publication Date: November 1, 2002

Originally published in 1992 to great acclaim, this updated edition traces the course of Hawking's life and science, successfully marrying biography and physics to tell the story of a remarkable man. Stephen Hawking is no ordinary scientist. With a career that began over thirty years ago at Cambridge University, he has managed to do more than perhaps any other scientist to broaden our basic understanding of the universe. His theoretical work on black holes and his progress in advancing our knowledge of the origin and nature of the cosmos have been groundbreaking - if not downright revolutionary. Stephen Hawking has also spent much of his adult life confined to a wheelchair, a victim of ALS, a degenerative motor neuron disease. Clearly his physical limitations have done nothing to confine him intellectually. He simply never allowed his illness to hinder his scientific development. In fact, many would argue that his liberation from the routine chores of life has allowed him to focus his efforts more keenly on his science. Hawking certainly would have been remarkable for his cutting edge work in theoretical physics alone. However, he has also managed to popularize science in a way unparalleled by other scientists of his stature. He became a household name, achieving almost cult-like fame, with the release of his best-selling book, "A Brief History of Time". Although steeped in the potentially overwhelming complexities of cosmology, he succeeded in selling millions of copies to audiences eager to learn even some of what he has to offer. Science writers White and Gribbin have skilfully painted a portrait of an indefatigable genius and a scientific mind that seemingly knows no bounds. Knitting together clear explanations of Hawking's science with a detailed personal history that is both balanced as well as sensitive, we come to know - and appreciate - both. As Stephen Hawking's new book, "The Universe in a Nutshell", hits the best-seller lists, it is the ideal time for readers to learn more about this remarkable man and his vast body of accomplishments.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The forces shaping the life of renowned physicist Hawking seem as strangely charged as those he describes in his physics. His British biographers, both scientists, examine their subject's personal history and ably fill in the spaces between his great leaps of theory. They avoid sentimentalizing the physicist's disabling ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), which struck him in his early 20s, while acknowledging that the condition has had a dramatic impact on his life and reputation. Gathering information from Hawking's colleagues (but not his estranged wife), the authors discuss his authorial success as well as his academic career, not failing to offer such bits of humanizing gossip as that he has a poster of Marilyn Monroe on his office door. Readers of Hawking's bestselling A Brief History of Time will find much of interest in this longer view of physics at work in one extraordinary person's life.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-- This biography is really two books in one: the story of Hawking's life, and an explanation of the theoretical concepts related to his research into black holes and the origin of our universe. The authors describe his early life as a gifted, but not always motivated, student in the British school system and his eventual rise to scientific and popular celebrity status. The chapters that chronicle his heroic struggle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) are particularly poignant. Those chapters that deal with the physics behind Hawking's research are written in a nontechnical style not unlike Hawking's own A Brief History of Time (Bantam, 1990). In fact, they provide a very accessible introduction to some of the most esoteric areas of modern physics and quantum mechanics. YAs interested in science will enjoy and relate to this title.
- Dennis McFaden, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Joseph Henry Press; Updated edition (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0309084105
• ISBN-13: 978-0309084109
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #913,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good biography of an incredible man, April 27, 2002

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Stephen Hawking a Life In Science (Penguin Press Science) (Paperback)

I am an enormous fan of Stephen Hawking, his achievements in physics are incredible and his ability to overcome his illness demonstrates how sturdy the human mind can be. He is touted in the book as the greatest mind since Einstein, which is a claim I also recently read concerning Richard Feynman. I have no opinion on this, as I hold them both in very high regard. To me such debates are silly, as ranking such people is so subjective that it is meaningless and wasteful.
That aside, I generally enjoyed the book, finding the explanations of the physics a little too simplistic for my tastes, but certainly within the realm of the general reader. My only real criticism is that there was too much ink spent on some of the minutiae of his life. Even Hawking probably objects to some of the details about his life that appear. However, I was pleased to read that he can be temperamental and shows his anger by running over a person's foot with his wheelchair. It just makes him sound that much more human.
This is a good biography of a great man, who lets nothing get in his way. An inspiration who probably does not want the role in any capacity other than as a physicist, he has revolutionized cosmology and it will be a minimum of decades before all the consequences of his work will be known.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A very poorly written biography., July 3, 1998

By 

Colin Warren ([e-mail]) (Washington DC, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science (Plume) (Paperback)

A biography full of inconsistent statements, leaving many questions unexplored, including basic ones such as "when did Hawking find out that his illness was life threatening?" and "What role did his family play in his life during his student days?". The explanations of the development of the main theories (relativity, quantum mechanics, the "big bang", etc.) are accessible to most readers, though no better than given by other books devoted entirely to the topic. Much of this material is poorly tied in to the biography itself. On a stylist level, the text is comparable to tabloid biographies of royalty, and is peppered with trite comments that contribute nothing to understanding Hawking as a person ("It has often been said there is a certain light in Oxford...", "The sixties were a great time to be alive and young..."). Hopefully, someone will write a properly researched biography one day.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cool and hot universe, April 19, 2006

By 

Yong Wang "TL" (Mclean VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stephen Hawking A Life in Science (Paperback)

--This is a story about one man who has changed man's view on the universe, about one man who miraculously survives......

Spending more than twenty years of life on a wheelchair, Stephen Hawking has revealed the most intriguing part of the whole universe, through his groundbreaking discovery in black holes. Considered "the successor of Einstein", Hawking attempted to combine quantum mechanics and relativity, two contradictory theories, breaking a new path for scientists to reveal the nature of physics. But perhaps the most fascinating part of Hawking's miracle is his fight and resistance to his illness, which, according to the doctors, would have ended his life by the age of 21. Despite huge difficulties of moving and speaking, Hawking has never given up himself, and neither has his wife, Jane, who helped Hawking go through the most difficult time of his life. The authors are inspired by Hawking's tenacity and spirit, and also will every one who will read Hawking's life through this book. After reading the book, one would understand, as what the authors hope, what contribute to Hawking's success--not only his genius and incisive intuition, but also fortitude and a positive attitude toward life. This book perfectly blends theories of physics and the universe with Hawking's life, depicting a colorful and unique picture to help understand the indefatigable scientist.