Rating: 
Summary: One of the greatest science books ever written.
Review: After reading this book one feels 100% smarter. Hawking has the gift to write in a way that truly everyone can understand. Along with "The Dancing Wu Li Masters" this is tied for my favorite book ever. Definately worth reading, even if you're not into science.
Rating: 
Summary: Provides more questions than answers but THAT'S the POINT!
Review: Albeit a fine effort, I found the book leaving me with more questions than answers. I think when pondering the universe and what makes it work - this is a good thing. The first two chapters are fascinating and a must read for anyone interested in the who's who of physics and cosmology. By the author's own admission the book attempts to avoid the use of mathematics and equations in fear of losing a general audience. The truth however is there are times when a little more detailed background information would have helped illustrate the point. The book is not suitable for midnight reading as it requires some intense and critical thought regardless of its attempt to appeal to the non-PHD type. I recommend the book over the tapes in that the book allows easy access between pages and chapters. Re-reading here is a necessity, not an option. Trying to 'get it' while fighting traffic will leave you exhausted ... hardly the way to start work! Enjoy. WCC.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of pretty pictures garnish History
Review: Stephen Hawking is perhaps the pre-eminent physicist of the last half of the 20th century. No, strike the "perhaps"; there should be no doubt. His contributions to cosmology and stellar evolution alone are enough to guarantee him an honored space in the scientific pantheon. There aren't many who could have written this book, and that Hawking has done it in the grips of a stable but still cruel malady, Lou Gehrig's disease, is a testament to his will and mounting intellect. He almost manages to carry it off. Probably this is no fault of his own. The subject matter is, in the hands of ordinary physicists, incredibly abstruse stuff. Scientific prose is fragile; one has to handle it carefully and reread it numerous times even to begin to understand it--and that only if one is an expert in the field. To try to translate that into ordinary English, so that we mortals might understand--that is when scientific writing becomes the calling of saints. Add onto this task the incredible popularity of this book (it, or Cosmos, I forget which, is the best-selling non-religious book of all time) the first time it was published, and you can get a feeling for what Hawking was up against. He isn't just writing for the Scientific American crowd, but for the Parade crowd and the People crowd. This is populist science. The *Illustrated History* improves on its predecessor in a number of respects. It expands on a number of explanations that were incomplete in the first edition. It adds a new section on developments that have occurred in the meantime. And of course there are those full-color pictures, where there was previously only black and white. (Don't pooh-pooh the pictures. Never underestimate the lasting impression of a picture that the reader *understands*.) But there are flaws. Small flaws, but flaws nonetheless. Hawking is an engaging writer (and even, despite the voice synthesizer he uses after an operation on his larynx, a passable speaker), but he does not quite have the flair for explanation of a Sagan or a Feynman. The analogies he uses are hardly original, but long-standing ones that have withstood the test of time, and they serve him well. When he has to stand on his own, though, as he must when he explains his own concept of imaginary time, he seems less sure of his footing. It all seems quite simple upon first inspection, and yet, when you examine it closer, it doesn't totally make sense. But this is a minor quibble. The book is an excellent introduction to cutting edge research in cosmology, and if Hawking is not a Carl Sagan or a Richard Feynman, that is hardly a knock on him. His work, in the end, will speak for itself.
Rating:
Summary: Brian Wayne Wells, Esquire, reviews "Brief History of Time"
Review: After reading Stephen Hawking's book, this reviewer found he was drawn back to the book periodically to re-read portions in an attempt to better understand difficult portions of an extremely difficult subject matter. Discovery of the fact that the entire book had been put on audio tape in an unabridged format, was a godsend. In a couple of long business trips, this reviewer listened to Hawking's beautiful explanation of the entire universe from the very small--quantum mechanics--to the very large--the stars and galaxies of the heavens and was enthralled. The tape had to be turned off so that car and driver could follow the proper road signs around Columbus, Ohio and once again get out on the open road for Indiana. The trips passed in no time at all because of the wonderful pictures which arose in the mind just listening to the tapes.
Rating:
Summary: The best book I've ever read on the subject of cosmology!
Review: The book is loaded with great pictures & diagrams, making even the most complicated matters of cutting-edge science in the fields of cosmology & astrophysics easy to understand. This new expanded & updated version even contains a new chapter of wormholes & time travel. My favorite book related to science!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Audio Book Reader Ruins Hawking's Great Astrophysics Primer
Review: This review pertains to the Michael Jackson (no, not that Michael Jackson) reading of A Brief History of Time. Judged on the material alone, I would have given this audio book a 9. However, the reader takes Stephen Hawking's primer on astrophysics and turns it into a laughably bad presentation. He flubs words, puts "umm" and "err" everywhere trying to put forth some "natural" style of reading. Instead, it becomes truly annoying. I have noticed that there are 2 other audio book readings of the same work with later release dates. I would be willing to bet that the reaction to the Michael Jackson reading was so negative that Dove went back and re-recorded it.
Rating:
Summary: Time Travel
Review: I loved how Professor Hawking's purpose in writing this book was to allow the general public to understand complex theories of theoretical physics. My only wish is to share my ideas with this ingenious man on Time Travel, a subject which I have studied in detail over the last few years. Who knows? Perhaps my mediochre mind could add something to the immense knowledge of this Professor
Rating:
Summary: The simplest summary ever of complex scientific theory.
Review: As a student, I have always loved physics and scientific theory, but many of the cosmological ideas (such as the fourth dimension) have always escaped my comprehension. In this book, Stephen Hawking manages to explain all of these in great detail, but still in a way that one can understand, especially so because of the detailed photographs and diagrams. I greatly reccomend this book to anyone with an interest in science and cosmological theory
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Summary: The best book about the Universe for the general public
Review: This is an updated version of Hawking's 1988 bestseller: A Brief History of Time. Stephen Hawking, the greatest physicist since Albert Einstein, introduces the laws and ideas describing the Universe to the general public. Beautiful pictures (absent from the 1988 version of the book) help the reader in understanding the key topics covered by the author. This very well written book is a must reference for your home/office/public/school library
Rating:
Summary: Great Introduction to Modern Physics
Review: Not only is Stephen Hawking a brilliant theoretical physicist, he's
also a wonderful and easily-understood science writer, as this book
shows. The well-executed and informative graphics help to explain
the material, as well as visually breaking up the pages into smaller, more digestible pieces. The text is an excellent mix of
theory, history, and personal anecdotes. If you've ever found physics
interesting but a bit too complicated, this would be a great book to cut your metaphorical scientific teeth on.
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