Stephen Hawking& #8217; s worldwide bestseller, < i> A Brief History of Time< /i> , has been a landmark volume in scientific writing. Its author& #8217; s engaging voice is one reason, and the compelling subjects he addresses is another: the nature of space and time, the role of God in creation, the history and future of the universe. But it is also true that in the years since its publication, readers have repeatedly told Professor Hawking of their great difficulty in understanding some of the book& #8217; s most important concepts. < br> < br> This is the origin of and the reason for < i> A Briefer History of Time< /i> its author& #8217; s wish to make its content more accessible to readers & #8211; as well as to bring it up-to-date with the latest scientific observations and findings.< br> < br> Although this book is literally somewhat & #8220; briefer, & #8221; it actually expands on the great subjects of the original. Purely technical concepts, such as the mathematics of chaotic boundary conditions, are gone. Conversely, subjects of wide interest that were difficult to follow because they were interspersed throughout the book have now been given entire chapters of their own, including relativity, curved space, and quantum theory.< br> < br> This reorganization has allowed the authors to expand areas of special interest and recent progress, from the latest developments in string theory to exciting developments in the search for a complete unified theory of all the forces of physics. Like prior editions of the book& #8211; but even more so& #8211; < i> A Briefer History of Time< /i> will guide nonscientistseverywhere in the ongoing search for the tantalizing secrets at the heart of time and space.< br> < br> ***< br> < br> Stephen Hawking will be lecturing at the following locations: < br> < br> 11/7/05: < b> San Jose Center for the Performing Arts< /b> , 408 Alamden Blvd., San Jose, CA, 95110, (408) 277-5277< br> < br> 11/10/05: < b> Paramount Theater of the Arts< /b> , 2025 Broadway, Oakland, CA, 94612, (510) 465-6400< br> < br> 11/16/05: < b> The Paramount Theater< /b> , 911 Pine Street, Seattle, WA, 98101, (206) 467-5510< br> < br> Tickets for & quot; The Origins of the Universe with Dr.Stephen Hawking& quot; are available through Ticketmaster.< br> < br> < br> < i> From the Hardcover edition.< /i>

"Hawking and Mlodinow provide one of the most lucid discussions of this complex topic ever written for a general audience.... [They] maintain the same wry, lively tone that made the original Brief History such a delight."--Publishers Weekly, starred review (online annex)

From the Hardcover edition.

From the Big Bang to the theory of relativity, Hawking challenges imagination and expands the grasp of the cosmos. Told by an extraordinary contributor to the ideas of humankind, this is the story of the ultimate quest for knowledge, the ongoing search for the secrets at the heart of time and space. Unabridged.

Stephen Hawking’s worldwide bestseller, A Brief History of Time, has been a landmark volume in scientific writing. Its author’s engaging voice is one reason, and the compelling subjects he addresses is another: the nature of space and time, the role of God in creation, the history and future of the universe. But it is also true that in the years since its publication, readers have repeatedly told Professor Hawking of their great difficulty in understanding some of the book’s most important concepts.

This is the origin of and the reason for A Briefer History of Time: its author’s wish to make its content more accessible to readers –as well as to bring it up-to-date with the latest scientific observations and findings.

Although this book is literally somewhat “briefer,” it actually expands on the great subjects of the original. Purely technical concepts, such as the mathematics of chaotic boundary conditions, are gone. Conversely, subjects of wide interest that were difficult to follow because they were interspersed throughout the book have now been given entire chapters of their own, including relativity, curved space, and quantum theory.

This reorganization has allowed the authors to expand areas of special interest and recent progress, from the latest developments in string theory to exciting developments in the search for a complete unified theory of all the forces of physics. Like prior editions of the book–but even more so–A Briefer History of Time will guide nonscientists everywhere in the ongoing search for the tantalizing secrets at the heart of time and space.

***

Stephen Hawking will be lecturing at the following locations:

11/7/05: San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 408 Alamden Blvd., San Jose, CA, 95110, (408) 277-5277

11/10/05: Paramount Theater of the Arts, 2025 Broadway, Oakland, CA, 94612, (510) 465-6400

11/16/05: The Paramount Theater, 911 Pine Street, Seattle, WA, 98101, (206) 467-5510

Tickets for "The Origins of the Universe with Dr.Stephen Hawking" are available through Ticketmaster.

From the Hardcover edition.

Stephen Hawking is Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge; his other books for the general reader include the essay collection Black Holes and Baby Universes and The Universe in a Nutshell.

Physicist Leonard Mlodinow, his collaborator for this new edition, has taught at Cal Tech, written for Star Trek: The Next Generation, and is the author of Euclid’s Window and Feynman’s Rainbow and the coauthor of the children’s book series The Kids of Einstein Elementary.