Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes FROM OUR EDITORS
Perhaps the most famous popular science book of recent years, A Brief History of Time even had the distinct honor of being made into a movie. This tenth anniversary edition has been revised and updated to reflect discoveries made since the original 1988 publication. It also contains a new introduction and a chapter on wormholes.
ANNOTATION
This landmark volume in scientific writing leads us on an exhilarating journey to distant galaxies, black holes, and alternate dimensions, and includes Professor Hawking's observations about the last decade's advances -- developments that have confirmed many of his theoretical predictions. Makes vividly clear how Professor Hawking's work has transformed our view of the universe.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
In the ten years since its publication in 1988, Stephen Hawking's classic work has become a landmark volume in scientific writing, with more than nine million copies in forty languages sold worldwide. That edition was on the cutting edge of what was then known about the origins and nature of the universe. But the intervening years have seen extraordinary advances in the technology of observing both the micro- and the macrocosmic worlds. These observations have confirmed many of Professor Hawking's theoretical predictions in the first edition of his book, including the recent discoveries of the Cosmic Background Explorer satellite (COBE), which probed back in time to within 300,000 years of the universe's beginning and revealed wrinkles in the fabric of space-time that he had projected. Eager to bring to his original text the new knowledge revealed by these observations, as well as his own recent research, Professor Hawking has prepared a new introduction to the book, written an entirely new chapter on wormholes and time travel, and updated the chapters throughout.
SYNOPSIS
This landmark volume in scientific writing leads us on an exhilarating journey to distant galaxies, black holes, and alternate dimensions, and includes Professor Hawking's observations about the last decade's advances—developments that have confirmed many of his theoretical predictions. Makes vividly clear how Professor Hawking's work has transformed our view of the universe.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Hawking's discovery that black holes emit particles caused great excitement among astronomers. In this succinct overview of current theories of the cosmos, the Cambridge University physicist modestly weaves in his own notable contributions while giving due credit to his colleagues. He explains why relativity implies that a ``big bang'' occurred and examines string theory, which posits a universe of 10 or 26 dimensions. His understanding of time's flow leads him to conclude that intelligent beings can only exist during the expansion phase of our increasingly chaotic universe. New research on black holes and subatomic particles holds implications for scientists who, like Hawking, are attempting to devise a unified theory linking Einstein to quantum mechanics. The merit of this book is Hawking's ability to make these ideas graspable by the lay reader. (April)
Library Journal
A central question underlies this brief but crystal-clear account of the history of physical speculation about the universe: does the universe always operate in the same manner or does it allow for divergence? That the universe is static, as once thought, eventually proved impossible to reconcile with evidence from astronomy, for how could an expanding universe follow unchanging laws of nature? Hawking, along with mathematician Roger Penrose, discovered the answer: relativity theory not only allows, but requires, a big bang. The discussion does not end therethe universe may really be static, the ``big bang'' being local history in only a part of the universebut once again Hawking has proved himself a pioneer. David Gordon, Bowling Green State Univ., Ohio
AudioFile
In his narration Michael Jackson changes his rhythm and volume, sometimes laughing with asides, while talking of the Big Bang, negative energy, and the elusive unified field theory. He also demonstrates a facility with a plethora of scientific and mathematical terms. If we can forgive him for pronouncing the "p" in Ptolomy so many times, we find he adds a pleasant vitality to a scientific audiobook. Hawking, an expert on space-time, quantum mechanics, and black holes, is far too smart for most of us to understand, but this abridgment, with the help of the narrator's positive spin, gives an idea of how such a great scientist, long afflicted with Lou Gehrig's disease, thinks and writes. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine
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