Review of "Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time" on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
Explains some very complex subjects in a very engaging way
Paperback, 238 pages
German language
Published April 30, 1994 by Rowolt Taschenbuch Verlag.
Bean reviewed A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Review of 'A Brief History of Time' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Hawking's "A Brief History of Time" is just that - a brief overview of the current understanding of the universe, and some current theories about how it works and how it began.
I found Hawking's use of analogies very helpful in understanding topics, but few things are thoroughly explained. This left me wanting to know more about the things I did understand, and lacking details that might have helped me comprehend things I couldn't.
Still, it is "a BRIEF history of time", and it serves it purpose well - giving an overview to the layman.
markgalassi reviewed A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Review of 'A Brief History of Time' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
I should have loved this book because at the time I read it I was working in that area, but I found it barely OK. This is probably a problem with how to present scientific material: it is hard to make everyone happy, and popular works are often annoying to practicing scientists.
On the other hand I have loved [b:A Short History of Nearly Everything|21|A Short History of Nearly Everything|Bill Bryson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320540603s/21.jpg|2305997] and [b:Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem|38412|Fermat's Enigma The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem|Simon Singh|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320518732s/38412.jpg|38182], finding them as gripping as a thriller.
I think the main problem with Hawking's book might be that the writing has an awkwardness in taking these long loops around a description, which merges poorly with a certain self-importance. In the end the best thing this book might have done is to give Bill Bryson …
I should have loved this book because at the time I read it I was working in that area, but I found it barely OK. This is probably a problem with how to present scientific material: it is hard to make everyone happy, and popular works are often annoying to practicing scientists.
On the other hand I have loved [b:A Short History of Nearly Everything|21|A Short History of Nearly Everything|Bill Bryson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320540603s/21.jpg|2305997] and [b:Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem|38412|Fermat's Enigma The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem|Simon Singh|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320518732s/38412.jpg|38182], finding them as gripping as a thriller.
I think the main problem with Hawking's book might be that the writing has an awkwardness in taking these long loops around a description, which merges poorly with a certain self-importance. In the end the best thing this book might have done is to give Bill Bryson an opportunity to make a pun in his title. (I actually don't know if that's deliberate, but I thought of it immediately...)
