The Universe in a Nutshell

Stephen Hawking, science's first real rock star, may be the least-read bestselling author in history--it's no secret that many people who own A Brief History of Time have never finished it. Hawking's The Universe in a Nutshell aims to remedy the situation, with a plethora of friendly illustrations to help readers grok some of the most brain-bending ideas ever conceived.

Does it succeed? Yes and no. While Hawking offers genuinely accessible context for such complexities as string theory and the nature of time, it's when he must translate equations to sentences that the limits of language get in the way. But Hawking has simplified the origin of the universe, the nature of space and time, and what holds it all together to an unprecedented degree, inviting nonscientists to share his obvious awe and love of the unseen forces that shape it all.

Yes, it's difficult reading, but it's worth it. Hawking is one of the great geniuses of our time, a man whose life has been devoted to thinking in the abstract about the universe. With his help, and pictures--lots of pictures--we can seek to understand a bit more of the cosmos. --Therese Littleton

“Clear, concise and accessible. And he leavens it further with occasional wry humor.”
— St Louis Post-Dispatch

“Provocative and informed ... plenty of comprehensible analogies and no small amount of humor, often self-deprecating.... Best of all, the book is liberally sprinkled with well-conceived, gorgeously rendered and frequently whimsical illustrations.”
— Time magazine
Acclaim for A Brief History of Time:

“Lively and provocative ... Hawking clearly possesses a natural teacher’s gifts — easy, good-natured humor and an ability to illustrate highly complex propositions with analogies plucked from daily life.”
— The New York Times

“This book marries a child’s wonder to a genius’ intellect. We journey into Hawking’s universe, while marvelling at his mind.”
— The Sunday Times (London)

“A masterful summary of what physicists now think the world is made of and how it got that way.”
— The Wall Street Journal

“Charming and lucid ... gives the general reader an opportunity to learn some deep science from the source.... [A book of] sunny brilliance.”
— The New Yorker

“Stephen Hawking proves himself to be a master of clarity.... It’s difficult to think of anyone else living who could have put these mathematically formidable subjects more clearly.”
— Chicago Tribune

“He can explain the complexities of cosmological physics with an engaging combination of clarity and wit.”
— The New York Review of Books

“Probably the best single book on astrophysics for the common reader. Thank you, Dr. Hawking!”
— Booklist