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Summary: Interesting
Review: Dr. hawking provides readers with a stark and perplexive outlook on space and time. From the cumalative dimensions that our minds are unable to grasp to the remarkably slim possibility of time travel, readers should be in awe of the imagination that this Dr. Hawking provides. He is truly a piece of work.
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Summary: Nice book overviewing old & new theories in cosmology.
Review: This book is a great new read from the brilliant mind of Steve Hawking. He gives overviews of many theories in cosmology and physics, some old and some new, including multi-dimensional space (that is, dimensions past the three observed), supergravity, branes, relativity, time travel, multiverses, inflation, space-time quantization, and others both familiar and obscure.Be in mind, though, that many of these things (spatial dimensions past the standard 3, branes, quantum foam/multiverses, and spacetime quantization, to name some of the most obvious examples) are hypothetical mathematical constructs that have no current observational verification in either lab studies or field work (of course, this is coming from a quasi-skeptic of the Big Bang :p ). However, they are still highly interesting concepts that definitely deserve the attention they are receiving and still may yet come to fruition. Did I mention the artwork? Some of the best I've seen in any science book to date and it serves to illustrate many of Hawkings' ideas and make them much more comprehensible if you get confused by text descriptions (like I sometimes do). Get this book if your interested in new theories in modern physics & cosmology.
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Summary: Life, the Universe, and a brilliant scientist.
Review: For a single volume, this is an incredibly comprehensive overview of the current mainstream theories in a variety of fields. It is actually more fascinating than A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME, and I found it highly readable--although I do have a science background which creates a bit of a bias. And I did find myself returning to other texts for reference on several occassions.
The illustrations really do make this one of the most accessible texts on the areas covered, and the discussion on string theory is especially fascinating. In some ways, it is like reading a series of articles in SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, so if you feel comfortable with that level of scientific complexity then this book should be a comfortable read. Highly Recommended.
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Summary: A grand journey across space, time and dimension.
Review: A grand journey across space, time and dimension. When reading Hawking's latest gem, other illustrated books on space and time come to mind, most notably Cliff Pickover's tetralogy: "Black Holes: A Traveler's Guide," "Surfing through Hyperspace," "The Stars of Heaven," and "Time: A Traveler's Guide." If you like Pickover's book, you'll love this one. Hawking discusses everything from black holes and the origin of the universe to strings, membrane theory, parallel universes, and quantum mechanics. The universe is so strange, one wonders whether scientists will ever be able to understand it in its totality. Buy this book to start the journey.
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Summary: Easy to read????
Review: They keep telling me that Hawking writes layman friendly stuff. This one is better in that respect, but still a little tough, I think.
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Summary: Now I Get It!
Review: It's amazing that such a frigged up dude like Hawking is able to produce a book, let alone a GOOD book! I don't know where this guy gets this stuff, perhaps it's a side effect of his acid trip or something but at the least it's pretty interesting stuff.
I recommend the Universe in a Nutshell (although the book is not exactly "Nutshell" length).
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Summary: Mind expanding!
Review: In "The Universe in a Nutshell", Hawking takes the reader on a fascinating romp through the cosmos. Many people bought "A Brief History of Time"; not all of them read it through. I believe "Universe in a Nutshell" will be better read if nothing else because Hawking has taken pains this time to tailor this book for the lay reader; in fact his writing style in this book reads a lot like Isaac Asimov, for my money the best science writer for lay persons ever. There is wit aplenty, there are charming digressions into personal anecdotes. This is like a fireside chat with Hawking leading us into following his line of thought. The structure of the book is simpler too this time. In the first two chapters, Hawking gives the reader a basic grounding in astrophysics and cosmology, just to lay the foundation for what follows. Dealing with relativity and quantum theory is challenging but Hawking manages to simplify enough to get his point across. Happily, his explanation style, keeping jargon to the minimum and making good use of examples and pictorial representations, makes it easy for the lay reader to follow his reasoning. And while jargon cannot be completely eliminated, there is a decent glossary to help the reader. The foundation thus laid, Hawking then branches all over the universe, from the classic paradox of time travel to the alternative universes of Richard Feynman. The reader is free to choose which branch to follow and in what order - the chapters are not sequential. I particularly liked his sobering discussion of how biological evolution is being overtaken by the explosive growth in information storage and dissemination and the resulting implications for human engineering. Bear in mind that this is not light reading. The concepts Hawking is dealing with are mind bending and often fiendishly difficult to conceptualize. A prior knowledge of some basic astrophysics probably helps. But for all that, this is still a very good book for an interested lay reader. It will bend your mind into twists, but it will expand your understanding of the world in which we live. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Like stubbing your toe on the chair of brilliance!
Review: this book will not only change your life, but the lives of those around you while you read it. Especially if you drop the book on their feet and they yell out in surprise pain, or if you bludgeon them to unconsciousness with it. Genius!
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Summary: More praise, but with a caution
Review: This book is well presented, easy to read, beautifully illustrated, funny, thought provoking and enlightening. I have to say that I was shocked by the review which gave it two stars. As to it being difficult for the people with less education, I read this with my eleven year old daughter. The illustrations of how gravity affects space and time were very helpful with her understanding of the concept. I find Mr. Hawkings' ability to laugh at himself and the vanity of the science community refreshing. The only complaint I have for the book is the publishing. The binding on Page 21 had too much glue applied and it oozed out sticking parts of the illustration to the opposite page. When I returned the book, all other 10 copies had the same problem. I would have expected the binding company to catch the problem when the jackets were put on the books. It was very disappointing considering the quality of the book and the cost. I'll wait for a new shipment to come in and get a copy if the binding is done properly or wait for the paper back a year from now. Too bad!
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Summary: glib, but well illustrated
Review: If you liked Hawking's previous book "Brief History of Time" then you may like this one. But, the fact is, BHT was a very poor attempt, particularly in comparison to many others that have come out since then on the same subject. The illustratios are in some cases original and worth a look. But in the end you will have absolutely no idea what Hawking is talking about. This is unfortunate because I think a good set of editors could , in fact, elicit a really interesting book out of the guy, but I think it would take much more time and effort. What worries me is that the text might have been a rush job perhaps because Hawking is in poor health.
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