Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays

Stephen W. Hawking

Bantam Books, 1993 - Cosmology - 182 pages

"In his phenomenal bestseller A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking literally transformed the way we think about physics, the universe, reality itself. Widely regarded as the most brilliant theoretical physicist since Einstein, he has opened our minds to today's most important scientific ideas about the cosmos. Now Stephen Hawking returns to shed new light on the darkest regions of space and time...and to reveal an extraordinary array of possibilities for our understanding of the universe." "These thirteen essays and one remarkable extended interview broadcast over the BBC on Christmas day 1992 range from the autobiographical to the purely scientific. Building on his earlier work, Stephen Hawking discusses imaginary time, how black holes can give birth to baby universes, and scientists' efforts to find a complete unified theory that would predict everything in the universe, a concept that he believes will come to seem as natural to the next generation as the idea that the world is round." "With the great unfolding mysteries of the universe as a backdrop, Stephen Hawking also reflects on free will, the value of life, and his perceptions of death. He looks at how science theory converges with - and diverges from - science fiction, as well as how science fact interfaces with our own lives." "The pieces in this collection reveal Stephen Hawking variously as the scientist, the concerned world citizen, the man, and - always - the rigorous and imaginative thinker. Severely disabled by ALS - Lou Gehrig's disease - he describes the way in which this has affected but not constrained his personal and intellectual life: from the special computer technology that lets him translate his thoughts into words and his words into sounds, enabling him to write and speak, to the process of evolving his ideas, teaching his students, and working with his colleagues." "Using his characteristic mastery of language, his sense of humor, his commitment to plain speaking, and his disdain for pompousness, Stephen Hawking invites us in this book to know him better and to share his passion for the voyage of intellect and imagination that has opened new ways to understanding the very nature of the universe."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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BLACK HOLES AND BABY UNIVERSES: and Other Essays

User Review  - Kirkus

Superstar physicist Hawking—whose A Brief History of Time (1988) is ensconsed in the Guinness Book of Records for having had the longest bestseller-run in English-language history—returns with 11 ...

Black holes and baby universes and other essays

User Review  - Not Available - Book Verdict

Hawking is quite probably the most admired and recognizable figure in science today. His A Brief History of Time ( LJ 4/15/88) was a surprise best seller that stimulated a public fascination with this ...

Contents

• childhood: 1
• Oxford and Cambridge: 13
• My Experience with ALS: 21

About the author

Stephen William Hawking was born on January 8, 1942 in Oxford, England. As a student at Oxford University, Hawking studied Physics, and after three years was awarded a first class honors degree in Natural Science. After gaining a Ph.D. from Cambridge, Hawking became a Research Fellow, and later on a Professional Fellow at Gonville and Caius College. Widely regarded as one of the greatest theoretical physicists since Einstein, Hawking has held the post as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge since 1979. Most famous for his research on black holes, he has written the books A Brief History of Time and Black Holes and Baby Universes, a collection of essays published in 1993. He also authored the books On the Shoulders of Giants, A Briefer History of Time, The Universe in a Nutshell, and The Grand Design. Hawking is also the author of numerous articles for scientific papers, has 12 honorary degrees and is a Fellow of The Royal Society and a Member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Hawking was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease in his early 20s and is now confined to a wheelchair. He uses a computer device to help him speak. Hawking holds a professorship at the University of Oxford. In 2015 Hawking's book A Brief History of Time, which he completed in 1984, became listed on the New York Times bestseller list.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays
• Author: Stephen W. Hawking
• Publisher: Bantam Books, 1993
• Original from: University of Minnesota
• Digitized: Jan 21, 2010
• ISBN: 0553095234, 9780553095234
• Length: 182 pages