A Brief History of Time

Rating:
Summary: Surprized to see so many positive reviews
Review: The first few chapters up to the middle of the book were useful information on the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. I enjoyed reading those chapters. From the middle of the book to the end, Hawking gets side tracked. The theme of the book changes from a scientific point of view to more of a plain unscientific talk to philosophical and even theological. Hawking adds many remarks on what God decides, what God wants, or what God does, which do not follow a scientific argument. Focus is degraded towards the end of the book by asking irrelevant questions such as: what happens if you go to the past and kill your great great great grandfather when he was a child?

In summary, as much as I respect Hawking as a person and a physicist, I found about half of the material in this book useful and the other half either confusing or vague. I am a bit surprised to see so many reviews with full 5 star ratings. There are other books that cover physics, astronomy, and cosmology in a simple and clear language (Gamow has a few gems).


Rating:
Summary: fantastic!
Review: I had the original Brief History of Time, but the illustrated version makes it a LOT more fun to read. Hawking's rapier-like mind and wit come through in this great book, and the plentiful color images help the reader visualize many of the trickier concepts. Just go buy it. Trust me.

Rating:
Summary: This one will help inspire students to appreciate science
Review: A book that inspires me is good for my students, and I can then communicate my positive reactions to them. I always want to inspire first, teach second. This is an excellent book from, probably, the greatest scientist since Einstein. I intend to make it required reading for my students in a liberal arts oriented science program. Following up with somewhat more technical things, like "Elegant Universe" and "Symmetry" makes a complete physics course for the non scientist.

Rating:
Summary: A Brief History of Time, Review
Review: It is a shame that other books concerning this industrial (advanced) and momentus subject aren't as explicit and clear as this book. Dr.Stephen Hawking discusses early and long held thought, briefing a bakground into the new subect. Once the perliminaries are over he discusses black holes and their form and structure. In the chapter entitled "Black Holes Ain't So Black" he briefly discusses the discoveries of his that lead to earning his Ph.D. He bridges the gap between physicist and expert and brings it down a noch to the amateur.
Stephen Hawking's work is more like a simplistic poem rather than a, well... textbook. It is clear and crisp and contains a great deal of knowledge. All that it takes to read this book is a cosy seat, a nice light, and a keen intrest.

Rating:
Summary: Great as an introduction - not for the experts!
Review: I found this book to be a great introduction to theories on the origins of our universe, the concepts of time, gravity, the big-bang, black holes, wormholes, etc. This is not an in-depth textbook full of incomprehensible language and ideas, but more a guide that provides the reader with a glimpse into the various theories used to explain the physics of the universe for the past 2000 years or so. While there are quite a few technical terms and some of the discussion is confusing, most readers will walk away knowing more than they knew before reading the book. We're also left with the realization that this is an ever-changing field - new research and theories are constantly coming into play and many ideas and concepts are still complete mysteries.

A Brief History of Time was not written for experts in the areas of physics/astrophysics (you already know all this), but more for the educated reader that wants to know a little more about some very interesting concepts. Don't be surprised if you find one or more areas that have piqued your interest to do further research!


Rating:
Summary: what a disappointment
Review: this book is exclusively for physics students and that should have been made clear in the recommendations. I read it half way through and could not finished, for the first time in my life. I read each page three times, and at the middle I tried to review what I learned, and I realized I did not have a clue of what the book is all about. Certainly is not about the "hitory of time". Waiste of money and, more important, a huge waste of my time.

Rating:
Summary: OK
Review: Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of the Universe has enjoyed, and continues to enjoy, tremendous popularity (particularly for a science book - albeit a non technical one). As someone with a keen interest in cosmology and its philosophical implications, I am predisposed to view anything that brings these issues to a broader audience in a favourable light ? indeed this was not a terrible book. I do not believe, however, that it warrants the rave reviews that it has received from many Amazon customers. I sense that this may be a new area for many of these readers and a bit of bandwagon jumping may have occurred. Although Hawking is an accomplished scientist, in my view, his abilities as a communicator are modest and his grasp of philosophical concepts is limited.

In his book Hawking touches briefly on a range of issues. Following is my opinion regarding the handling of these issues. The overview of the history of cosmology and relativity theory is well done. His discussion of Quantum theory could be stronger (a variety of material that presents quantum theory and its implications/questions is available for free on the Internet - Alan Wolf also has some excellent material in this area for a popular audience). Black holes are one of Hawking's key interests and there is a lot of interesting theoretical work being done in this area. That said, however, I feel that the discussion of this topic is a bit too long. Finally, though interesting, I found the discussion of speculative concepts such as multiverses and imaginary time ill-suited for this type of book. To be honest, this type of metaphysical conjecture is better suited for a work of science fiction than a popular overview of cosmology. Although the author caveats many of his thoughts in this area, the lay reader could easily come away with the view that these ideas have a much firmer basis than is actually the case.

I found Hawking's lack of depth with respect to the philosophical implications of cosmology disappointing. Readers seeking more on issues such as the limits of science, the relationship between science and reality, the nature of God, etc. would be better served to look within in the realms of scientific and religious philosophy (many of the questions that men such as Hawking are just being to grapple with have been addressed in great depth and clarity for millennia). Asking a scientist who works in a narrow area of research to clearly understand and articulate the broader ramifications of their work is a bit like asking a software developer to explain the effect of the Internet on society. The point here is not to unduly criticize scientists or software developers, but, to highlight that there are individuals more at ease with analysing the wider implications of technical and theoretical developments. For example, an interesting read with regard to the philosophical implications of current cosmological thought is Smith and Craig's Atheism, Theism and Big Bang Cosmology.


In conclusion, anything that increases interest in the "big" questions is worth a look. Accordingly, I think Hawking should be congratulated for introducing these ideas to a broader audience. There are, however, many better discussions of these issues available in both print and on the Internet.

Rating:
Summary: Hawking's genius.
Review: I found this to be a valuable tool in understanding current physics. I would recommend this book for anyone curious about the universe or looking for a introduction to basic theoretical knowledge.
With topics ranging from the Theory of Relativity to Black Holes, Hawking has it all packed in. He is also very good at giving background information pertaining to earlier theories of the kind, who the theorists were, and the major accomplishments of those particular scientists.
The book is good reading. In spite of some scientific jargon, equation and figures, the average reader can well understand it. However, being a collection of lectures and articles, some amount of repetition is present in the work. There are places where some more explanation would do a lot of help to the reader while making the conclusions at various stages more plausible.
The value here is in our contemplating the vastness of space and time.

Though the book is a bit pricy, the illustrations, and overall book quality make up for it. Not to mention, Hawking's genius.


I also recommended Sex and the perfect lover by Mabel Iam.

Rating:
Summary: Too complex for the curious minded...
Review: I was very interested in reading this book because of its reviews and subject, but reading it wasn't what i hoped for. This book is not very reader friendly. It seems that the only people able to understand the majority of what he gets into
(i.e: equations,terms,subjects) would only be understood by people who have a degree in the subject. I've taken a few college classes in astronomy and enjoyed the subject very much, but seriously, i simply finished the second half of the book just to complete it. I went through the first half with hopes of it getting easier or better. There is a lot of information given, but it's really hard to understand or comprehend for anyone who doesn't have a background in astronomy.

Rating:
Summary: a marvel of a book
Review: This book is truly a gem.. small volume but packed with a density of information..
Explore fascinating topics you could not think about in your wildest DREAMS.. topics are Black holes, Entropy, Origins of universe, Time Travel.

Hawkings is truly a genius among geniuses.
(...) If you can finish the book, the knowledge is well worth it.