A Brief History of Time

from the big bang to black holes

Hardcover, 208 pages

English language

Published March 1, 1988 by Bantam Books.

ISBN:
978-0-553-05340-1
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4 stars (221 reviews)

A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes is a book on theoretical cosmology by English physicist Stephen Hawking. It was first published in 1988. Hawking wrote the book for readers who had no prior knowledge of physics and people who are interested in learning something new about interesting subjects. In A Brief History of Time, Hawking writes in non-technical terms about the structure, origin, development and eventual fate of the Universe, which is the object of study of astronomy and modern physics. He talks about basic concepts like space and time, basic building blocks that make up the Universe (such as quarks) and the fundamental forces that govern it (such as gravity). He writes about cosmological phenomena such as the Big Bang and black holes. He discusses two major theories, general relativity and quantum mechanics, that modern scientists use to describe the Universe. Finally, he …

76 editions

Review of 'A Brief History of Time' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

This book somehow manages to be simultaneous dry and accessible, and yet there's still a point at which I find quantum mechanics to be inscrutable. I also found myself wishing that there's an updated version - the book is now 35 years old, and I'm sure there's been new developments in the search for a Grand Unified Theory that I haven't heard about. But overall, I'd say this was an interesting read.

Astrophysik für Laien

5 stars

Ein sehr aufschlussreiches Buch, das so geschrieben ist, dass auch Laien wie ich etwas verstehen können (natürlich nicht alles, aber das muss auch nicht sein). Hawking beschreibt die Grundlagen von Newton über Einstein und Heisenberg bis hin zu seinen eigenen Forschungen und gibt einen Ausblick in die zukünftigen Forschungsrichtungen und Ziele (wie die Suche nach einer vereinheitlichten Theorie) in dem Bereich. Ich habe das Buch mit Gewinn gelesen, wenngleich es heute nicht mehr aktuell ist. Einige Theorien wurden ad acta gelegt, andere konnten in der Zwischenzeit belegt werden (Graviationswellen, Schwarze Löcher...). Zwei Anmerkungen habe ich: Im ganzen Buch kommt nur eine einzige (!) Wissenschaftlerin vor. Das wäre mir vielleicht früher gar nicht aufgefallen, aber heute achte ich auf so etwas. Herr Hawking haut manchmal ganz schön auf die Kacke (bezüglich sich selbst), aber er darf das auch. Er ist ja tatsächlich einer der wichtigsten Wissenschaftler des letzen Jahrhunderts gewesen.

Review of 'A Brief History of Time' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I just finished listening to Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time. It was astonishing. It made me want to understand the universe in a way that no book has in the past. I actually feel like I have a grasp on what quantum physics is, when in the past I have always felt like it was a murky pool of unknowns. I can't recommend it enough, if there are any of you that didn't beat me to it. #physics #hawking #book #review #audiobook

Review of 'A Brief History of Time' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A fascinating look into time and space. I'm not entirely sure how up-to-date this is, since the foreword speaks about "newer findings" that have been added, but then the foreword is from 1996.

A Brief History of Time is definitely a good way to start, if you're new to the topic of astrophysics. If you have read several more recent publications, you'll most likely have heard about all the information Hawking gives here.

Review of 'A Brief History of Time' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I'm giving this 2-stars because it is a 2 star book. Calling it "okay" is a bit positive for how I felt about it. It took me 2-1/2 weeks to read this book, mostly because I could really only read about a chapter per day.

My overall feeling is that this is book people read to feel smug. This book came highly recommended. I know that many recommended it to me. It is a highly readable book. And I may have liked it if I'd read it in grad school when I think it was most often mentioned to me. It has sat on my TBR pile waiting to be read for a decade.

Unfortunately, the book is out-of-date, and I already knew much of the physics covered from my own interests and education. This meant I did not find it educational, entertaining, nor interesting. I'm not sure what level …

Review of 'A Brief History of Time' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Finally got around to reading this classic masterpiece. I'm not giving it 5 stars because I don't really think I understood all of it. There's quite a few bits that honestly went way over my head but it is almost magical in the way it summarizes the universe and logically argues why we believe there was a beginning to the universe and why we might be wrong. It is lighthearted every once in a while and makes science seem gigantic and full of possibilities.
It is definitely a book worth coming back to in the future, even if just to see if I can understand it any better.
Rest in Peace, Mr Hawking, your legacy is enormous and most of us are just beginning to discover it.

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Subjects

  • Astrophysics & Space Science
  • Cosmology
  • Metaphysics
  • Science
  • Universe

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