A Brief History of Time

Outline

A Brief History of Time (1988) explains the biggest questions about the universe in language that general readers can follow. Stephen Hawking explores the Big Bang, black holes, the nature of time, and the search for a theory that unites all of physics. The book became one of the best-selling science books in history and inspired millions of people to take an interest in cosmology.

• Hawking explains the biggest questions about the universe in language that general readers can follow, without requiring a physics background.
• The book looks at the Big Bang and asks how the universe began.
• Black holes are one of its central subjects, and it shows how they connect to the way space and time work.
• It examines the nature of time itself, not just the objects that exist in space.
• Physics is still searching for a single theory that unites all of its branches, and the book explains why that search matters.

Stephen Hawking (1942–2018) was a British theoretical physicist and cosmologist who held the Lucasian Professorship of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. He made major discoveries about black holes and the origins of the universe while living with motor neurone disease for most of his life. His books include A Brief History of Time, The Universe in a Nutshell, and Brief Answers to the Big Questions.