A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

A Brief History of Time is one of the most celebrated science books ever written, having sold over 25 million copies since its publication in 1988. Stephen Hawking set out to write a book about the biggest questions in physics — the nature of time, the origin of the universe, the existence of black holes — that could be understood by readers with no scientific background whatsoever.

The book begins with a history of our understanding of the universe, from Aristotle’s view of a stationary Earth at the center of the cosmos to Galileo’s revolutionary astronomical observations to Newton’s laws of motion and gravity. Hawking then guides readers through the revolutionary theories of the twentieth century, including Einstein’s special and general theories of relativity and the development of quantum mechanics.

Hawking’s own major contributions — particularly his work on black holes and the discovery that they are not entirely black but emit radiation now known as Hawking radiation — are explained in accessible terms that make the wonder and significance of these discoveries palpable even to lay readers. He also explores the possibility of a unified theory of physics that would reconcile general relativity with quantum mechanics.

The book concludes with a philosophical reflection on what it would mean if we discovered a complete theory of the universe and what that would tell us about the mind of God. A Brief History of Time sparked a worldwide resurgence of popular interest in physics and established Hawking as the foremost communicator of science to general audiences.