The Illustrated Brief History of Time, Updated and Expanded Edition

The book was on the cutting edge of what was then known about the nature of the universe, but since then there have been extraordinary advances in the
technology of observing both the micro- and the macrocosmic world. 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 the wrinkles in the fabric of space-time that he had projected.

Eager to bring to his original text the new knowledge revealed by these many observations, as well as his most recent research, for this revised and expanded edition Hawking has prepared a new introduction to the book, revised and updated the original chapters throughout, and written an entirely new chapter on the fascinating subject of wormholes and time travel.

In addition, to heighten understanding of complex concepts that readers may have found difficult to grasp despite the clarity and wit of Hawking's writing, this edition is magnificently enhanced throughout with more than 240 full-color illustrations, including satellite images, photographs made possible by spectacular new technological advances such as the Hubble telescope, and computer- generated images of three- and four-dimensional realities. Detailed captions clarify these illustrations, enabling readers to experience the vastness of intergalactic space, the nature of black holes, and the microcosmic world of
particle physics in which matter and antimatter collide.

A classic work that now brings to the reader the latest understanding of cosmology, The Illustrated A Brief History of Time is the story of the ongoing search for the tantalizing secrets at the heart of time and space.

This book covers ideas that are profound and affect everyone. It explains theories that concern the creation of the universe, time travel, light-speed travel, and many more topics. Imagine actually having some grasp of Einstein's general relativity. Ever heard of string theory? How might time travel actually be possible? What are these black holes of which I've heard? This book packs an incredible amount of information into its 248 pages, yet somehow is still easily read - this is the true marvel of this book.

The illustrated version is worth the extra money. It contains many updates and additions throughout the book by Hawking (including the time travel chapter!). Every (and I mean every) concept throughout the book is accompanied by at least one illustration - think about it: 240 color illustrations with only 248 pages!

Towards the middle of the book, some of the concepts get more complex (when he really gets into the details of sub-atomic particles). However, as a recent high school graduate, I can say with some level of certainty that the average person can understand 90% of this book - and those parts are the most interesting! It will change the way you look at the universe.


Better than the original   May 13, 2002
F. G. Hamer (Isle of Man)
26 out of 28 found this review helpful

I read the original version of 'A Brief History of Time' back in 1988. At the time, Hawking was into ground-breaking territory. The fact that his theories have gained such universal acceptance and that many of them have since been proved is evidence of the brilliance of the mind that thought through the logic.

In this updated version, Hawking moves from time travel to black holes to general relativity, quantum mechanics and even string theory, he never fails to captivate and entrance, even though some of the theories are difficult to grasp.

The sections devoted to black holes and time travel are, in my view, the most interesting... putting a human slant of a highly theorical subject. With the addition of hundreds of amazing illustrations and photos, Hawking has made his revised book extremely readable and colorful, both comprehensive and comprehendable, as one reviewer put it.

An excellent introduction to relativity, big bang, and anything else you might have scratched your head about!


Complex universal Issues Simplified :)   January 13, 2002
M. A. ZAIDI (Karachi; Pakistan)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

This book is the updated version of the international bestseller, so any praise on my part will surely be redundant. As such, I will just summarize what you get with this book: a fascinating intro to major physics theories (including Newton's, Einstein's general relativity, and quantum theories), and a brief overview of cosmological mysteries (including big bang and black holes). As anyone even vaguely familiar with Hawking knows, he's got a knack at making even the most abstract ideas sound remarkably simple and interesting. This book is accessible to anyone, regardless of your academic background (you will understand most of it even if you've never taken a single physics course). If you ever wondered about the physical world around you or the universe at large, you will not find a better introduction anywhere; if however, you're already well read in the subject, head straight to the more in-depth look at essentially the same concepts and more found in Greene's 'Elegant Universe.'


Thinking Great Enough to Match the Cosmos   April 29, 2002
Patrick Shepherd (San Jose, CA USA)
12 out of 15 found this review 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.


The Greatest Book Ever Written!   February 10, 2001
A.J.R. (USA)
16 out of 21 found this review helpful

This book is so powerful! Stephen Hawking brilliantly covers both quantum mechanics and general relativity along with brand-new ideas about space and time. This book is so easy to understand, and its countless photos really help the reader visualize the information. I treasure this book, and hope his magnificent work will endure for generations to come. Hawking can be compared to some of the greatest physicists who ever lived. He is so brilliant despite his ALS. If you only read one book in your entire life, or just one book on physics, READ THIS BOOK!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!! It will change your entire outlook on the Universe and help you to ponder its possibilites like the best philisophical thinkers of today and yesterday. If I could, I would rate this as six stars, or seven! Please read this amazing book!!!