Rating: 
Summary: Highly Recommended!
Review: The image of wheelchair-bound Stephen Hawking expounding on the exotic realities of a vast universe has become so indelibly etched into popular culture that it's easy to forget that Hawking achieved a spot in the ranks of history's great thinkers long before he become a scientific icon. It isn't every day that you get to read a book whose author helped to shape his field in a fundamental way. Even though he is considered the most brilliant theoretical physicist since Einstein, Hawking has managed to produce an accessible and enjoyable book that can be understood by laymen as well as scientists. We from getAbstract recommend this book not only for its masterly explanation of the workings of the universe, but also for its studied examination of what new discoveries mean for common man, philosophy and religion.
Rating:
Summary: Up There.
Review: Top of the list for anyone who wants to know a little about cosmology and black holes. Simply written, by one of the top scientist of our time. Not a big book, it will get you searching for more.
Rating:
Summary: Important but accessible classic
Review: This is probably the most readable book on those mind-boggling questions of cosmology and theoretical physics that engage many of the top minds today. Hawking explains it all in easily understandable language, almost conversationally, and even then, sometimes the concepts are tough sledding. But overall, this is a readable and enjoyable trip along some of the high roads of contemporary physical thought by one of its greatest thinkers. It had been some years since I'd had the time to read much about astronomy and cosmology, and this little book was a great place to start reading up on the subject again.I usually try to do reviews that aren't simply a rehash of the material in the book, but I would like to mention one thing Hawking discusses since it was so ironic. I was taught, of course, about the Big Bang theory in college (and no, it's not about a hot party at Jimi Hendrix's place back in the 60's), and by that time it was pretty much accepted as an established fact. But Hawking points out that originally he had trouble convincing his fellow physicists that a singularity such as the big bang had actually occurred. His fellow physicists eventually came around to his view of things, but it took a while. However, Hawking discovered later that if certain quantum phenomena were brought into the picture, the necessity for a singularity disappeared--so he could have saved himself the trouble of the original controversy! Overall, a great classic by a great scientist and teacher.
Rating:
Summary: A classic
Review: You don't have to be a Phisic geek to enjoy this book. If you like sci-fi then this is an experiece that is not sci-fi but it feels like one.
Rating:
Summary: Essential reading
Review: Don't you dare NOT read this book. Ignore ANY criticism of this one and read it. I read this book very late into my life (i.e I had read a lot of pop-sci cosmology/quantum physics before this). I was actually guilty of ignoring this book as it became too pop - everybody seemed to have read it (or so they claimed). I was stupid. You have to get Hawking's perpective on the topics he discusses in this book - if you are interested in the subject. He's as good as anybody else - except Gribbin and (I agree with one reviewer below) Brian Green (his style is too good - amazingly illustrative).
Rating:
Summary: Great for Beginning Cosmological Physics
Review: Stephen Hawking writes these words as no other could. He describes some of the most confusing, detailed theories of modern physics, so that the average American could completely understand. 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. If possible, I would strongly advise buying the illustrated version, as, not only do the pictures help, they make for an easier and more pleasureful read as you skim through the pages. Though the book is a bit pricy, the illustrations, and overall book quality make up for it. Not to mention, Hawking's genius.
Rating: 
Summary: Starts you off in a quest - to find who you are?
Review: Hawkings book is an eye opener, makes you re-think about why and how you are born in this unimportant stellar system that is yet another granule in the vast sands of the universe. Surely, it raises more questions than it answers. In my opinion, this is what a good book should do - not to make followers - but to trigger the curiosity in the reader and starts her off in thinking. 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. In overall this is a great book to be read! And believe me, its fun reading!!
Rating: 
Summary: A Poor Book
Review: This is a poor book. Stephen Hawking knows his stuff, but he is very bad at conveying that information to others. He doesn't go into enough detail to allow the user to understand the physics behind the subject and consequently the book has a very "so-there", "Because it just is!!" quality to it. For example, Early in the book he states that time moves slower close to the gravitational field of a large object, like the earth. He doesn't go into any detail, or explain this. I know that it it because gravity and acceleration are the same, and as einstien showed, going faster causes time to move slower. But if I wasn't familiar with relativity I wouldn't have understood this, and wouldn't have felt that I had learned anything. I hit problems at chapter 6, "Black Holes" because I know very little about them, and thus didn't feel like could follow the chapter. The book has a reputation of being one in which people can't get past the first few chapters. Well I think this is why. A better example of a good way to learn a subject is through the books of Richard Dawkins. Upon reading his books I always come away with an excellant understanding of the topic. It's a shame that this book wasn't in a similar style.
Rating: 
Summary: Put it on your bookshelf, to impress your date
Review: People say that what you read is what you are, and therefor, you can tell about the charector of a person by examing his bookshelf. Well, this book is a great bookshelf book. To put it on your bookshelf so your date think your intelligent, would be a great use for it. It is not a "Science book for the masses" like some had refered to it. It's possible that something happened in the transtlation to Hebrew, but this book was hard-to-read and boring and there are better books in the subject. This book is a must on every bookshelf, but from the wrong reasons.
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Summary: Brief review for "Illustrated Brief History of Time".
Review: This is a beautiful edition. Reader will experience nothing but pure pleasure in searching through the text or analyzing colorful pictures of this book.
Why was "A Brief History of Time" so successful ?
Because people have always longed for answers to the big questions. Where did we come from ?
How did the world begin ?
What is the meaning of it all ? Buy lovely work of Stephen Hawking and you will not only read but additionally you will SEE explanations.
One extra suggestion: there is a quite good alternative available: "River of Time" by Igor Novikov. Much cheaper but as good as Hawking's masterpiece.
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