Amazon.com ReviewStephen Hawking, one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists in history, wrote the modern classicA Brief History of Timeto help nonscientists understand the questions being asked by scientists today: Where did the universe come from? How and why did it begin? Will it come to an end, and if so, how? Hawking attempts to reveal these questions (and where we're looking for answers) using a minimum of technical jargon. Among the topics gracefully covered are gravity, black holes, the Big Bang, the nature of time, and physicists' search for a grand unifying theory. This isdeepscience; these concepts are so vast (or so tiny) as to cause vertigo while reading, and one can't help but marvel at Hawking's ability to synthesize this difficult subject for people not used to thinking about things like alternate dimensions. The journey is certainly worth taking, for, as Hawking says, the reward of understanding the universe may be a glimpse of "the mind of God."--Therese LittletonReview"This book marries a child's wonder to a genius's intellect. We journey into Hawking's universe while marveling at his mind."—_Sunday Times_, London"Charming and lucid...[A book of] sunny brilliance."—_The New Yorker_"Lively and provocative...Mr. 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."—_New York Times_