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A Brief History Of Time: From Big Bang To Black Holes by [Stephen Hawking]

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Stephen Hawking

A Brief History Of Time: From Big Bang To Black Holes Kindle Edition

by Stephen Hawking (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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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 the internationally acclaimed masterpiece by the world renowned physicist - generally considered to have been one of the world's greatest thinkers.

It 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, from the Big Bang to black holes, via spiral galaxies and strong theory. To this day A Brief History of Time remains a staple of the scientific canon, and its succinct and clear language continues to introduce millions to the universe and its wonders.

This new edition includes updates from Stephen Hawking with his latest thoughts about the No Boundary Proposal and offers new information about dark energy, the information paradox, eternal inflation, the microwave background radiation observations, and the discovery of gravitational waves.

It was published in tandem with the app, Stephen Hawking's Pocket Universe.

'This book marries a child's wonder to a genius's intellect. We journey into Hawking's universe while marvelling at his mind.' The Sunday Times

Print length

242 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Transworld Digital
Publication date

10 November 2009
File size

3001 KB
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[Hawking] can explain the complexities of cosmological physics with an engaging combination of clarity and wit. . . . His is a brain of extraordinary power. --The New York Review of Books

This book marries a child's wonder to a genius's intellect. We journey into Hawking's universe while marvelling at his mind. --The Sunday Times, (London)

Masterful. --The Wall Street Journal

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. --The New York Times

Even as he sits helpless in his wheelchair, his mind seems to soar ever more brilliantly across the vastness of space and time to unlock the secrets of the universe. --Time --Reviews --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description

Stunningly repackaged edition of the international bestseller --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author

Professor Stephen Hawking, a Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, is the pre-eminent theoretical physicist in the world. His book A Brief History of Time was a phenomenal worldwide bestseller. He has twelve honorary degrees and was awarded the CBE and was made a Companion of Honour. He has three children and one grandchild.

Michael Jackson is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Copenhagen. He is an award-winning poet, novelist, and anthropologist. Among his many books are Minima Ethnographica: Intersubjectivity and the Anthropological Project; Barawa, and the Ways Birds Fly in the Sky; At Home in the World (published by Duke University Press); Pieces of Music, a novel; and Antipodes, a collection of poetry. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time has become an international publishing phenomenon. Translated into thirty languages, it has sold over nine million copies worldwide and lives on as a science book that continues to captivate and inspire new readers each year. When it was first published in 1988 the ideas discussed in it were at the cutting edge of what was then known about the universe. In the intervening ten years there have been extraordinary advances in the technology of observing both the micro- and macro-cosmic world. Indeed, during that time cosmology and the theoretical sciences have entered a new golden age. Professor Hawking is one of the major scientists and thinkers to have contributed to this renaissance. In this special, fully updated edition, which marks the tenth anniversary of the book's original ground-breaking publication, Professor Hawking has included the most recent developments in the field, many of which were forecast by him. He has also written a new introduction as well as an additional chapter on wormholes and time travel. A Brief History of Time has rightly been hailed as the publishing sensation of the past decade and is surely destined to become one of the greatest classics of science writing. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Inside Flap

"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. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0031RDVMI
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Transworld Digital; 0 edition (10 November 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3001 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 242 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 25,073 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
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Stephen Hawking

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Stephen Hawking's ability to make science understandable and compelling to a lay audience was established with the publication of his first book, A Brief History of Time, which has sold nearly 10 million copies in 40 languages. Hawking has authored or participated in the creation of numerous other popular science books, including The Universe in a Nutshell, A Briefer History of Time, On the Shoulders of Giants, The Illustrated On the Shoulders of Giants, and George's Secret Key to the Universe.

(Stephen William Hawking; Oxford, Reino Unido, 8 de Enero de 1942 - Cambridge, 14 de marzo de 2018) Físico teórico británico. A pesar de sus discapacidades físicas y de las progresivas limitaciones impuestas por la enfermedad degenerativa que padecía, Stephen William Hawking es probablemente el físico más conocido entre el gran público desde los tiempos de Einstein. Luchador y triunfador, a lo largo de toda su vida logró sortear la inmensidad de impedimentos que le planteó el mal de Lou Gehrig, una esclerosis lateral amiotrófica que le aquejaba desde que tenía 20 años. Hawking es, sin duda, un ejemplo particular de vitalidad y resistencia frente al infortunio del destino.

Fue miembro de la Real Sociedad de Londres, de la Academia Pontificia de las Ciencias y de la Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Estados Unidos. Fue titular de la Cátedra Lucasiana de Matemáticas (Lucasian Chair of Mathematics) de la Universidad de Cambridge desde 1979 hasta su jubilación en 2009. Entre las numerosas distinciones que le han sido concedidas, Hawking ha sido honrado con doce doctorados honoris causa y ha sido galardonado con la Orden del Imperio Británico (grado CBE) en 1982, el Premio Príncipe de Asturias de la Concordia en 1989, la Medalla Copley en 2006, la Medalla de la Libertad en 2009 y el Premio Fundación BBVA Fronteras del Conocimiento en 2015.

Alcanzó éxitos de ventas con sus trabajos divulgativos sobre Ciencia, en los que discute sobre sus propias teorías y la cosmología en general; estos incluyen A Brief History of Time, que estuvo en la lista de best-sellers del The Sunday Times británico durante 237 semanas.

La Editorial Alvi Books le dedicó, como tributo y reconocimiento, este espacio en Amazon en 2016.

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Ross McDougall

a brief history of amazing thoughts and thinkers!

Reviewed in Australia on 12 July 2017

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This was a great, albeit overwhelming book. John Sackville read this book, and while I thought i'd find a dissonance in hearing anyone else read Hawking, I have to say his performance was excellent. The rhythm of the reading was pleasant and left me feeling confident the context was being communicated.

More than really engaging with the book, I mostly was listening as it was being read. The level of the content started out relatively simply then rocketed off away from my puny brain. I did find myself in awe of some of the concepts Hawking explains and ties together so well.

Less of a history of time and moreso an analysis of the concepts and theories that determine the way we consider time and all that it entails. I was very impressed by the work that Hawking and the physics community have put into the thinking around our universe and place within.

The book encouraged me to find another entry point and pursue such thoughts to better understand all the forces that hold our world(s) together. Fantastic book!

5 people found this helpful

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David JH

Definitively factual, interesting, and enjoyable.

Reviewed in Australia on 27 January 2019

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Hawking offers a great overview of the universe as we know it, with science that doesn't get too detailed - which fits well with this book. However, there may be a few plain, boring bits and it can often feel like this should have been written with a tad more fun. The potential for humour is particularly apparent. It's like I want this book to be remixed by Douglas Adams.

Overall, good. I now realise how much we still don't know about the universe, and the short histories of Einstein, Galileo, and Newton were interesting and make me want to read more.

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Maldon Recording

Once again, as advertised and ahead of time.

Reviewed in Australia on 9 September 2020

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Use = reading and expansion of thought. Quality = great.....I've honours in Physics, but this book has helped me to understand concepts which were totally alien before. Unreservedly recommended.

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Brian

Classic and timeless

Reviewed in Australia on 6 June 2018

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What can I say? It is a timeless classic. Buy it, read it, give it to your children to read, and encourage them to explore for themselves this wonderful creation.

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Patrick Calvert

Big bang for your bucks

Reviewed in Australia on 10 March 2015

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A unique reference on the fascinating but complex topic of the creation and final destruction of the universe. The explanations are thorough and carefully built up - although I suspect that many readers will have to give up at some point in the book as the technical and mathematical details get beyond comprehension at the first read.

One person found this helpful

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Geoffrey R Chapman

A work of genius!

Reviewed in Australia on 26 June 2020

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Educational and entertaining read by a scientific giant.

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Geoff Cubbon

Brilliant

Reviewed in Australia on 5 April 2018

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Very well written and explained for the layman. Highly recommended read. RIP Stephen Hawking you will leave a huge hole in humanity.

One person found this helpful

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Ben

Still one of the best around

Reviewed in Australia on 6 May 2014

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Intelligent but at the same time accessible for those without much formal training in physics. I'm actually reading it with my 12 year old now!

3 people found this helpful

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Dimpy

Without a doubt a masterpiece! 👍

Reviewed in India on 25 October 2018

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"What did God do before he created the universe? Augustine didn’t reply: He was preparing Hell for people who asked such questions. Instead, he said that time was a property of the universe that God created, and that time did not exist before the beginning of the universe."

Stephen Hawking takes us on a journey from the time when the world believed that Earth was the center of the universe and supported on the back of a giant tortoise to our age when we know better. Without the use of any mathematical equation, except the one famous mass energy equivalence relation by Einstein, he has explained the nature of our universe, from the smallest particles which cannot be seen to the biggest entities, the black holes in a simple language.

The manner in which Hawking broke down complex concepts in theoretical physics, along with his adept use of humor, he clearly won over the readers who otherwise might have found themselves intimidated by physics and maths.
I recommend it to all people who are interested in physics and cosmology but hate equations. 😄

219 people found this helpful

Martin Jones

A Brief History Of My Efforts To Understand Physics

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 July 2018

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Stephen Hawking summarises the difficulty of his book right at the end. Science has become ever more complex and specialised. All the grand, universal theories of A Brief History are actually the work of experts who only have time to understand their small patch. This breaking down of knowledge into pieces has been going on for centuries, gathering pace after 1776 when, in his Wealth Of Nations, Adam Smith described the future of industry as the division of labour. Then in 1988 Stephen Hawking comes along and has a go at explaining the whole of modern physics, with all its specialised fields and competing experts, to a general reader.

Perhaps part of A Brief History Of Time’s remarkable success lies in a nostalgic reaction. People used to live in houses with one big room. Go to Anne Hathaway’s house in Stratford and you’ll see how a sixteenth century hall was split into the rooms of later centuries. Perhaps, in a figurative sense, we look into a tiny room in the attic - where the physicist has a study - and yearn to return to that big hall where everyone is in it together.

So how did Stephen Hawking do? I have to admit to reading general books on physics that I have found much easier and more compelling - Superforce for example, by Paul Davies, an accomplished physicist in his own right. This is a book I read back in the 1980s after failing, on that occasion, to get to the end of A Brief History. But Stephen Hawking was one of the most famous physicists of modern times, isolated both by his esoteric field of expertise and his illness. Looking into the study of such a man increases the frisson.

Overall I would say I caught the gist of at least some of A Brief History, without feeling I gained a deep knowledge of anything. Maybe that is an inevitable part of what us general readers might call the Dilettante Principle, our equivalent of the Uncertainty Principle. You can either know a little about a lot, or a lot about a little, but not both.

I think if I’m honest I was more interested in the book not so much for what was in it - which I often had a tough time following - but for what it represents about the times we live in, where people know more and more about smaller and smaller areas. A lot of good books are like that. They catch a moment.

70 people found this helpful

E Griffith

A bit too much for me!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 March 2021

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I’d heard a lot about this book. It was certainly a best seller for its time. Also it’s a subject I’m interested in. But.....I’m not particularly bright but I don’t think I’m too slow on the uptake (I’ve two degrees for what they’re worth).....but this book lost me completely. Hawking is a genius, no doubt. But he’s on a different planet to me. A different galaxy or universe even. It’s described as being accessible to “a layman”....whatever that is.....an astrophysicist professor? I admit he lost me completely. I read it all but know it swept over my head in a cloud of cosmic dust in the eons of time going backwards and forwards in time through wormholes encapsulated by gravity and disappearing into black holes at (just below) the speed of light. I gave it an extra star for the occasional bit of humour, obviously included as a nod towards thickos like me. I’m glad I read it though. I know where I stand in the Universe and The Big Bang. Pretty near the bottom of the class.

15 people found this helpful

Betseylee

Brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 April 2018

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(This is the updated version). What a book, I enjoyed it from beginning to end, reading only a chapter a day, so I didn't get too bogged down and had time to digest it. Nevertheless, it is a lot to take on board. Being a sci-fi nut, a lot of the theory and concepts, in principle, we're known to me but still, I am only a lowly Human Being, not a scientist! I loved the sense of humour and little asides, although I am a little perplexed by the notion that if time flowed backwards, you could see the result of a race and then place a bet on it, knowing the result. Surely you are still travelling time in the wrong direction to collect your winnings, or alternatively, everyone would be rich! Screws my brain up just trying think about it. Anyway, a jolly good book which I shall certainly read again.

25 people found this helpful

Intriguing read for those who wonder about our universe!

Reviewed in India on 12 January 2019

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A brief history of time... What a fascinating book! This is probably the first time I read through an entire book where I only understood a fraction of what was explained, due to my limited understanding on the topic. In other circumstances I would have left it incomplete. However with this gem, it made me wonder about various principles I had heard about in high school, and search for some cool videos online explaining them in an easy to understand language.

If you have wondered about the big bang, black holes, elementary particles, general relativity, quantum mechanics, space and time, or the laws of the universe, this book is for you!

This book reminds one of how beautiful, fascinating and intriguing our universe is! I don't think the author could have simplified things any further. I rate the book a 5-star for keeping me engaged, for making me explore concepts I wouldn't have otherwise, and for reminding me of the wonders of the universe.

45 people found this helpful

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