A Briefer History of Time: The Science Classic Made More Accessible Paperback – May 13, 2008

I listened to the audio version which is well produced and well read.Book vs. CD the material is the same (the audio version has text illustrations available on the last disk).Physics used to be a science that mere mortals such as you and I, could aspire too. Certainly you needed mathematical skill, but with hard work and a creative mind you could understand and study the physical world around you. This was the case until early in the 20th century when Relativity and Quantum theories arose. At this point the mathematics involved truly become difficult and esoteric to the point were only a relative handful of people proficient in such mathematics could understand and develop further theories. Additionally, as our knowledge expanded, sub-specialization in physics created a further segregation of the material where even only a smaller few could understood the nuance and intricacies of their specific field.In this milieu of high math and super specialization what is the curious lay person to do?Read Stephen Hawking!In his casual manner and efficient eloquent prose, he presents the current status of physics and cosmology such that you and I can actually understand the principles and theories. I will never understand the derivation of the theories but as Hawking explains I don't need to, through this book we do not become PhD students, simply guests at his dinner table discussing what he is thinking. What great minds like Hawking are thinking is infinitely more interesting than most other topics which come up at the average dinner table.Somehow just understanding what these giants are working on makes me comfortable in my relative ignorance, while I can never understand how they know, I can understand what they know.When I read the A Brief History of Time in 1988 I felt the same way and must admit at that time worried that Dr. Hawking would not live much longer due to the severity of his illness. It is very comforting that he and his mind and his desire to include and share with us his intimate yet wonderful knowledge of physics. He is among the select few that have the skill to educate the masses in science. Hawking, Sagan and Feynman benefit mankind not only with their science but with their dedication to teaching humanity.The brief bios on Einstein, Galileo and Newton were an unexpected bonus.

In A Briefer History of Time, Stephen Hawking does an amazing job introducing many difficult physics related topics in only 142 pages. He takes concepts such as relativity, time, and quantum theory and simplifies them to a level that is more comprehendible to the average person. Although he is able to break down the concepts to a simpler level, many of them are still difficult to grasp because of how brief the book is. I still did learn an extraordinary amount from this book.Hawking's first book A Brief History of Time, is a best seller with over nine million copies sold, but too difficult for many people to understand; A Briefer History of Time fixes that problem. Though it still is difficult to understand in many concepts, the language that he uses is simple and easy to understand. He constantly gives examples to back up theories and statements, which make them more comprehendible. He compares today's theories with the theories of great physicists in the past, tracing the evolution of physics.Overall I really enjoyed this book. I am not a huge fan of reading, but I found myself glued to this book. Hawking does such an incredible job making quantum theory, relativity, and other concepts understandable. If you are looking for a book that is a good introduction to these topics, then this is the last place you need to look. This was the first Hawking book that I have read, and I enjoyed every minute of it. On top of everything else, Hawking is funny. He incorporates humor, albeit very dry, into his reading, which makes it even better I think. I highly recommend this book to anyone!

This is a very good book. It is important because it explains to us laypeople what the specialists in theoretical physics now understand about the universe: how it operates, where it began, how it works, and how time enters into the equation. It also lets us know that no one currently completely understands our universe, and some of what remains to be learned.I attended a presentation by Dr. Stephen Hawking of the content of "A Briefer History of Time", (through video hookup instead of in person due to medical problems of the author) recently before receiving and reading the book itself.Having a little knowledge of theoretical physics, the book was an easy read for me. I was impressed with the way the authors used simple, everyday examples to illustrate the basic and foundation concepts such as Einstein's theories of special and general relativity, and how the theories regarding time, space, and the shape of the fabric of the universe interact to provide insight into the reality of the universe in which we reside.Some have complained about the minimal discussion in this book of current topics such as string theory and M theory, but these are still being studied and developed -- I'm sure Dr. Hawking understands all of the current theories but is not yet willing to commit his extraordinary credibility to any specific theory among those available at this time.I believe that anyone who has ever even slightly wondered how the stars got there or how our universe was formed should read this book. It is worth the effort to think about the simple examples presented until you understand the concepts being illustrated (especially in the relativity sections).Although I have the original "A Brief History of Time", I have not read it all the way through, choosing other books instead, such as a somewhat more technical but extremely well-written and edited book by Brian Greene, "The Elegant Universe", (a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction), or a perhaps more readable but slightly out of date (1994) book, "Hyperspace", by Michio Kaku. I have read and highly recommend both of these for the more technically inclined readers.