From the Publisher
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
When and how did the universe begin? Why are we here? What is the
nature of reality? Is the apparent "grand design" of our universe
evidence of a benevolent creator who set things in motion-or does
science offer another explanation? In this startling and lavishly
illustrated book, Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow present the
most recent scientific thinking about these and other abiding
mysteries of the universe, in nontechnical language marked by
brilliance and simplicity.
According to quantum theory, the cosmos does not have just a single
existence or history. The authors explain that we ourselves are the
product of quantum fluctuations in the early universe, and show how
quantum theory predicts the "multiverse"-the idea that ours is just
one of many universes that appeared spontaneously out of nothing,
each with different laws of nature. They conclude with a riveting
assessment of M-theory, an explanation of the laws governing our
universe that is currently the only viable candidate for a
"theory of everything": the unified theory that Einstein was
looking for, which, if confirmed, would represent the ultimate
triumph of human reason.
About the Author
Stephen Hawking was the Lucasian Professor of
Mathematics at the University of Cambridge for thirty years, and
has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including,
most recently, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. His books for the
general reader include the classic A Brief History of Time,
Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays, The Universe in a
Nutshell, and A Briefer History of Time. He lives in
Cambridge, England.
Leonard Mlodinow received his doctorate in
theoretical physics from the University of California at Berkeley,
and teaches at Caltech. He is the New York
Times bestselling author of The Drunkard's
Walk: How Randomness Rules our Lives, Subliminal: How
Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior, War of the
Worldviews: Science versus Spirituality (with Deepak
Chopra), Feynman's Rainbow: A Search for Beauty in Physics
and in Life, and Euclid's Window: The Story of
Geometry from Parallel Lines to Hyperspace. He also wrote for
Star Trek: The Next Generation. He lives in South
Pasadena, California.
About the Book
In this startling and lavishly illustrated book, the authors present the most recent scientific thinking about the abiding mysteries of the universe, in non-technical language marked by brilliance and simplicity. 208 pp.
Format: Trade Paperback
Published: February 21, 2012
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Language: English
The following ISBNs are associated with this title:
ISBN - 10: 055338466X
ISBN - 13: 9780553384666
