A Brief History of Time (Illustrated)

I'm a scientist, but not a mathematician or a physicist. I have, like many people, an educated layman's knowledge of the universe and am keen to learn more.

As such, I rely on popular versions of some hard thinking to access and enjoy my interests. Reading through the original version, I hit treacle about two thirds through and (from what I'm told) missed a fine climax to an excellent book.

This is different. I've often thought that a great mind can tie together complex ideas and information in a clear and simple way.

This is the result of a truly great mind. It's beautifully written, simple, concise and (although it still requires an investment of thought and time) is far more accessible.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone interested in this area.

True Quality (15/15 people found this helpful)

This is a truelly amazing book it has to be said. Anyone interested in space and time travel etc must buy this book. It's not one of those books you buy and then never read, you'll be hooked in no time. Before you know it you will be understanding how space really works. Explained with amazing clarity by the true master of space. A must buy for anyone.

Very good read (9/9 people found this helpful)

I started out with low expectations, i thought i was going to be overwhelmed by incomprehensible facts and figures. I would be lying if i said its an easy book to read, its not, you have to give it maximum attention or else you will miss bits, but for such a complex topic Hawking does an excellent job of making it manageable for those of us who aren't geniuses yet are mildly interested in the subject, and the illustrations make it even more so.

Thinking Great Enough to Match the Cosmos (52/54 people found this helpful)

For anyone looking for a great, comprehensible explanation of the current state of the theories driving today's physics, this is it. Hawking has taken everything from the early history of thinking about the universe, its laws and composition, to the latest developments on black holes and string theory and placed it in a remarkably lucid set of explanations that detail the concepts behind all the mathematics that is so intimidating to most. This book is written without a single equation or a single statement on the order of "From the above, it is obvious that..." Instead, we proceed from the (comparatively) simple concepts about the everyday observable world of gravity, planets, and stars, travel carefully along the historical path of scientific observations as they modify and enhance the simple theories till we reach the world of quantum mechanics, the big bang, wormholes, and Grand Unified Field Theories. Each concept is fully explained, and with this expanded second edition, many of the concepts are beautifully illustrated with drawings and photographs.

And, possibly surprising to some people, as we enter the rarified air of today's theories, we see that the line between physics and philosophy is a very thin one, and ruminations about the origin of the Universe lead to discussions about God and fate. Here we see why Hawking is one of the premier physicists of today, as he obviously thinks in same kind of conceptual language that this book is written in, capable of looking at the meaning behind the mathematics and how it relates to us as humans.

Physics students and engineers may not find very much new here, but even they may benefit from the clear thought lines presented here, forcing a look at the meaning behind all the esoteric symbols that are their everyday working fare.

About the only quibble I had with this was Hawking's insistence on writing out very large/small numbers as million-million-million... While this was fine the first couple of times it becomes a little irritating in place of the standard 1,000,000... representation, or even better to use standard scientific notation.

A great elucidation of some of the most complex theories of the day, theories seemingly unrelated to your everyday life, but which are in fact the bedrock upon which today's technological marvels are based, and with implications that catch the nether regions of religion and the questions we all have about the meaning of life and the universe.

Quantum mechanics and Relativity for Dummies! (27/27 people found this helpful)

This book explains the concepts introduced in the "Brief history of Time" more clearly with the use of outstanding illustrations and graphs. People that read the original edition will now be able to understand the somewhat cryptic notions using beautiful representations of the microcosm and macrocosm. A must for people interested in science.

A Brief History of Time (Illustrated)

Stephen Hawking

Reader Reviews:

A picture explains a thousand words. (3/3 people found this helpful)

True Quality (15/15 people found this helpful)

Very good read (9/9 people found this helpful)

Thinking Great Enough to Match the Cosmos (52/54 people found this helpful)

Quantum mechanics and Relativity for Dummies! (27/27 people found this helpful)

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