Rating: 
Summary: Better than the original
Review: I read the original version of 'A Brief History of Time' back in 1988. At the time, Hawking was into ground-breaking territory. The fact that his theories have gained such universal acceptance and that many of them have since been proved is evidence of the brilliance of the mind that thought through the logic.In this updated version, Hawking moves from time travel to black holes to general relativity, quantum mechanics and even string theory, he never fails to captivate and entrance, even though some of the theories are difficult to grasp. The sections devoted to black holes and time travel are, in my view, the most interesting... putting a human slant of a highly theorical subject. With the addition of hundreds of amazing illustrations and photos, Hawking has made his revised book extremely readable and colorful, both comprehensive and comprehendable, as one reviewer put it. An excellent introduction to relativity, big bang, and anything else you might have scratched your head about!
Rating:
Summary: Thinking Great Enough to Match the Cosmos
Review: For anyone looking for a great, comprehensible explanation of the current state of the theories driving today's physics, this is it. Hawking has taken everything from the early history of thinking about the universe, its laws and composition, to the latest developments on black holes and string theory and placed it in a remarkably lucid set of explanations that detail the concepts behind all the mathematics that is so intimidating to most. This book is written without a single equation or a single statement on the order of "From the above, it is obvious that..." Instead, we proceed from the (comparatively) simple concepts about the everyday observable world of gravity, planets, and stars, travel carefully along the historical path of scientific observations as they modify and enhance the simple theories till we reach the world of quantum mechanics, the big bang, wormholes, and Grand Unified Field Theories. Each concept is fully explained, and with this expanded second edition, many of the concepts are beautifully illustrated with drawings and photographs. And, possibly surprising to some people, as we enter the rarified air of today's theories, we see that the line between physics and philosophy is a very thin one, and ruminations about the origin of the Universe lead to discussions about God and fate. Here we see why Hawking is one of the premier physicists of today, as he obviously thinks in same kind of conceptual language that this book is written in, capable of looking at the meaning behind the mathematics and how it relates to us as humans. Physics students and engineers may not find very much new here, but even they may benefit from the clear thought lines presented here, forcing a look at the meaning behind all the esoteric symbols that are their everyday working fare. About the only quibble I had with this was Hawking's insistence on writing out very large/small numbers as million-million-million... While this was fine the first couple of times it becomes a little irritating in place of the standard 1,000,000... representation, or even better to use standard scientific notation. A great elucidation of some of the most complex theories of the day, theories seemingly unrelated to your everyday life, but which are in fact the bedrock upon which today's technological marvels are based, and with implications that catch the nether regions of religion and the questions we all have about the meaning of life and the universe.
Rating:
Summary: THE SCIENCE BIBLE (A must buy)
Review: If you own Carl Sagan's Cosmos then you must own this. It's a must buy, a simple must.
Rating: 
Summary: A poor performance
Review: This review pertains to the audio version done by Michael Jackson. I have wanted to read A Brief History of Time for many years, and finally got to it. I was disappointed. The first few chapters were bad enough. Although I understood the early material, since it was a review of past theories, the way Mr. Jackson handled the reading was annoying. He would speed up his reading, then slow it down for mysterious reasons. I started to wonder if he was having trouble understanding the words. Then every once in a while he would snicker at something, apparently trying to make Hawking's occasional dry wit into roll-on-the-floor laughter. By about the third chapter I was seriously considering quitting the whole thing. Only the fame of this book kept me going. The middle chapters were more satisfying, but toward the end when he got into string theory, which I really don't understand, I began having serious problems with Mr. Jackson's lack of feel for the material. He would rush through a long, rather complicated sentence and I would have to rewind and listen to it again, then stop so I could think about what it meant. I kept wishing he would slow down, but he never did, except when he stumbled over a word. The other thing that would have really helped this recording is if he had started each new side of each tape with a repetition of the previous sentence or two. The previous audio book I listened to did this, and it was really helpful for getting my bearings, especially since I only listened in my car and there were several hours (or sometimes days) between tapes. All in all, I would not recommend this tape. Try a different one or read the book.
Rating:
Summary: Complex universal Issues Simplified :)
Review: This book is the updated version of the international bestseller, so any praise on my part will surely be redundant. As such, I will just summarize what you get with this book: a fascinating intro to major physics theories (including Newton's, Einstein's general relativity, and quantum theories), and a brief overview of cosmological mysteries (including big bang and black holes). As anyone even vaguely familiar with Hawking knows, he's got a knack at making even the most abstract ideas sound remarkably simple and interesting. This book is accessible to anyone, regardless of your academic background (you will understand most of it even if you've never taken a single physics course). If you ever wondered about the physical world around you or the universe at large, you will not find a better introduction anywhere; if however, you're already well read in the subject, head straight to the more in-depth look at essentially the same concepts and more found in Greene's 'Elegant Universe.'
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Fascinating
Review: If you want to find out the mysteries of the universe, this is the book!
Rating: 
Summary: A Hawking Classic
Review: Stephen Hawking is one of if not the most prominent physicist on the planet today, and works like A Brief History of Time make it easy to see why. Hawking knows just about everything about modern physics, hence the lofty title. From time travel to black holes to general relativity, quantum mechanics and even string theory, he never fails to captivate and galvanize. The strongest sections in the book are probably those on black holes and time travel, so if you are interested in either of those areas, you would be doing yourself a favor by buying it. The whole book is highly stimulating, though, so even just a casual interest in science would be well-fed by any chapter. In fact, for those of you who are only mildly involved with or intrigued by modern scientific theories, A Brief History of Time just might push you over the edge and make a fanatic out of you. With the addition of literally dozens of illustrations per chapter, Hawking has made his book extremely readable and colorful, both comprehensive and comprehendable. Yet there are some topics covered inside that are simply too complicated for many people to understand. How black holes can emit radiation even though nothing can escape their surfaces is discussed, for example. (The answer: a particle and its antimatter counterpart can, according to quantum physics, spontaneously emerge out of nothingness very near to the black hole's event horizon--anywhere else they would collide and erupt into pure energy, but near the event horizon one is sucked into the black hole and the other escapes. In this sense black holes are like "matter factories", causing new matter to enter the universe out of nowhere. Pretty weird and confusing stuff.) The only other quibble I have with this book is that it is too short! That just attests to the quality of the book, though. It was a very worthwhile read for me; it will be for you, too.
Rating:
Summary: A Fabulous Endeavor into Fantastic Physics
Review: Stephen Hawking has not only shown us that he has an amazing mind, but he has also shown us that he is a skilled writer. This book was made for the person who has ever wondered how our knowledge of the natural world has changed since Aristotle. Hawking moves beyond simple history and describes the concepts in physics that have daunted the layman for years. The paperback version that is not illustrated is good, however like most people I am able to comprehend the more difficult aspects of quantum and classical physics when I have beautifully done diagram. This is why I feel that The Illustrated Brief History of Time is worth every penny. The Brief History of Time is also probably one of the easier reads in the field of phyiscs.
Rating:
Summary: A Book, A Treasure!
Review: This is the best book I have ever read. Right now I'am only in 9th, but after reading this book I was able to answer quetions about astronomy that were meant for 11th and 12th graders or above! I was able to impress my freinds and my physics teacher by the knowledge I gained from this book. I came to know the depth of astronomy and everything is written so well that even a 6th grader can understand it. I t will slash open your mind and reveal to you the unknown. Don't ever miss this book. Go for it. BUY IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: AWESOME, COOL, SUPERB!!!!!
Review: This is the best book to read. I impressed my friends and teachers by my knowledge about astronomy which I gained from this marvellous book. Every word breaks through mind and makes you feel like a real theorist! Every thing is explained really really well. I would devote a thousand stars to this book! I would request you all not to think twice before buying this book which has got a knowledge worth a million dollars. IT IS REALLY A BOOK TO READ AND DIGEST. READ IT!!!!
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