Stephen W. Hawking - A Brief History of Time

Pros: A more authoritative source you could not wish for, with a warm style.
Cons: Just plain hard subject matter

It’s not easy to put some of the most complicated concepts in cosmology into plain English. In fact, it is darn near impossible. Given that, it becomes close to impossible for the lay person to achieve a good understanding of the innards of ...

Pros: A sublime tale of love
Cons: Can't think of none right now

Understanding the "mind of god" is a pretty high prize to aim for. Let's face it, as far as what to try to understand, that is about as big as it can get. But that is essentially the goal of Stephen W. Hawking, the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at...

Pros: easy to understand language, very entertaining
Cons: the subject matter is very complex at times

I first received Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History of Time" when I was a junior in high school. I have always been very curious about physics and anything that could make Star Trek a possibility. I was amazed at how understandable the book was. I ...

Pros: Difficult material, made accessible.
Cons: You may end up with many, many questions, which will require more reading.

This is the book that made a wheelchair-bound scientist named Stephen Hawking a household name, and perhaps the most famous physicist since Einstein. It is a surprise, and a joy, that it became such a hit, since it covers such difficult subject matter. ...

Pros: Fascinatingly written, and written functionally.
Cons: VERY deep subject material that requires deep thinking and time to process.

Diagnosed with the body crippling Lou Gehrig’s disease shortly after his 21st birthday, Stephen Hawking overcame significant obstacles and rose to become one of the world’s greatest quantum mechanical and theoretical physicists. His work has ...

Pros: Educational, really interesting, written for the layman, includes examples (see op.)
Cons: You have to read it at least 3 times to understand it *fully*!

Sheesh, thats fast! So, whats the title mean? Well I assume you have not read A Brief History of Time by Prof. Steven W. Hawking then?! If you had have done [and actually understood it!] then you'd know what 0.000000003335640952 seconds stands for! ...

Pros: Thorough and thought-provoking
Cons: a difficult read

This incredible book took two attempts on my part to get through. The first was a few years ago; I got to chapter three and was I disappointed in myself for giving up on! I knew, however, I really wanted to know what this genius had to tell me about the...

Pros: Best scientific book writter
Cons: Tough principles

Like many former high school science students, my most poignant scientific educational experience runs back to the late Carl Sagan saying "billions and billions" and "the stuff of life." Many students, on the other hand, are scared...

Pros: erudite clear rational profound classic
Cons: none

Hawking ranges himself with Einstein, Galileo and Newton (whose thumbnail bios he includes), and this is justified since Hawking’s clarity of presentation, like theirs, makes the exceedingly difficult subject of physics transparently intelligible.
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Pros: Fantastic introduction to the universe around you
Cons: Somewhat technical at times

Most of us are caught up in the day-to-day stuff - our jobs, bills, chores, etc. Not that there is anything wrong with it: after all, we all need to earn our living in an increasingly competitive world.

But it's easy to get bogged down by it....

Pros: quite easy to understand compared to other works, written for laypersons
Cons: can become tedious if one is not interested in the subject

A Brief History of Time was written due to Hawking’s interests in expressing his views about space-time and the universe, the theories that he has developed and generally the first ideas that got him interested in Cosmology. This book considers many...

Pros: Teaches the lay-person about some mind boggling topics.
Cons: Sometimes hard to understand, simply due to nature of material.

"A Brief History of Time" is meant to be a non-technical book that attempts to explain the basic workings of our universe to those of us not blessed with stupendous levels of math and/or physics knowledge. Does it do the job? It certainly does,...

Pros: Very easy to understand and follow and highly enjoyable...
Cons: Nothing stands out...

"The Universe explained simply." I think that is the best way to sum up what this book is really about. Almost anyone can follow Hawking's graceful explanations of some of the most difficult knowledge Man has discovered to date.
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Pros: Great Overview of Cosmology, Easy to Read
Cons: Doesn't focus on one specific topic

A Brief History of Time is an amazing book that deals with the entire nature of the Universe. it doesn't necessarily focus on one thing - it talks about Quantum Theory and Relativity, but it also talks about other things such as the big bang/big crunch,...

Pros: Superbly written
Cons: None

Stephen Hawking is on top of his game when it comes to astrophysics and cosmology. World-renowned as one of only a handful of great thinkers of this century or any other, Hawking attempts to explain and entertain the masses with the mysteries of the...