A Briefer History of Time » (Reprint)

Stephen Hawking made black holes palatable for the masses with his 1988 book A Brief History of Time, which had The New York Times pointing out that he is bravely taking some of the first, though tentative, steps toward quantizing the early universe.

Stephen Hawking's worldwide bestseller, A Brief History of Time, has been a landmark volume in scientific writing. Its author's engaging voice is one reason, and the compelling subjects he addresses is another: the nature of space and time, the role of God in creation, the history and future of the universe. But it is also true that in the years since its publication, readers have repeatedly told Professor Hawking of their great difficulty in understanding some of the book's most important concepts.

This is the origin of and the reason for A Briefer History of Time: its author's wish to make its content more accessible to readers -- as well as to bring it up-to-date with the latest scientific observations and findings.

Library Journal

True, Hawking here aims to provide a less technically complex version of his famed A Brief History of Time. But he's also updated the content to reflect the very latest research. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Acknowledgments     xi
Foreword     1
Thinking About the Universe     3
Our Evolving Picture of the Universe     6
The Nature of a Scientific Theory     13
Newton's Universe     19
Relativity     26
Curved Space     38
The Expanding Universe     50
The Big Bang, Black Holes, and the Evolution of the Universe     68
Quantum Gravity     86
Wormholes and Time Travel     104
The Forces of Nature and the Unification of Physics     117
Conclusion     138
Albert Einstein     143
Galileo Galilei     145
Isaac Newton     147
Glossary     149
Index     155