ISBN:0553380168Amazon.com
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/p>
Reviews From AMAZON.COM
Overrrated
If, like myself, you are not an expert in astronomy, but are interested in learning the basics of the field, you may find this book disappointing. Many of the amazon reviews I had read indicated that this book was filled with "easy to understand illustrations" of concepts. Although I have two Master's degrees, I admit that I had to read numerous passages several times before understanding them.
The content of the book is pretty solid, but I would have to guess that there is a better book in existence that provides a thorough, easy-to-understand guide to astronomy to beginners.
Very informative and interesting from brilliance
Dr. Hawking is brilliant and his easy to read flow of writing keeps your eyes locked right on until your done. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an Astronomy, Physics, and just general science background or enthusiasts. Great book from beginning to end.