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  • A Brief History of Time

  • From Big Bang to Black Holes
  • By: Stephen Hawking
  • Narrated by: John Sackville
  • Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (3,012 ratings)
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A Brief History of Time cover art

A Brief History of Time

By: Stephen Hawking
Narrated by: John Sackville
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Was there a beginning of time? Could time run backwards? Is the universe infinite or does it have boundaries?

These are just some of the questions considered in the internationally acclaimed masterpiece by the world renowned physicist - generally considered to have been one of the world's greatest thinkers.

It begins by reviewing the great theories of the cosmos from Newton to Einstein, before delving into the secrets which still lie at the heart of space and time, from the Big Bang to black holes, via spiral galaxies and strong theory. To this day A Brief History of Time remains a staple of the scientific canon and its succinct and clear language continues to introduce millions to the universe and its wonders.

©2016 Stephen Hawking (P)2016 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"This book marries a child's wonder to a genius's intellect. We journey into Hawking's universe while marvelling at his mind." (The Sunday Times)

 

"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." (The New York Times)

What listeners say about A Brief History of Time

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful narrator

Like most people, I had heard of this book - it is quite famous after all. But despite a layman's interest in the subject I somehow always assumed it would be way over my head. Seeing the good reviews on Audible I decided to pick it up - great decision! It is easily accessible and in fact, since Hawking has been such a prominent figure in physics in the last decades, much of what he talks about I was already familiar with from other popular science books on the subject. He makes the subject feel easy to understand (which I'm sure is a delusion on my part) and very interesting.
I particularly want to mention the performance by John Sackville, who has such a wonderfully calm and rich voice. He makes this a real pleasure to listen to.

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84 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Interesting and intelligible

This book has a famous reputation as being the most popular unread book on the market.As a result I thought long and hard about buying it thinking I wouldn't be able to understand it.However,apart from the penultimate chapter on string theory I followed it (relatively) easily.It is also very well narrated by John Sackville.

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77 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Stellar

First time I’ve ever finished a book and felt MORE stupid! :-) Great listen. Mind blown.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Still a book that blows your mind

Would you listen to A Brief History of Time again? Why?

I need to listen to it until my ears bleed and even then I know in my heart that I will never understand its concepts.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Time itself.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

The first chapter. I was holding it together until the second started.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Coming to the realisation that you can never know certain things no matter how hard you try to.

Any additional comments?

I need another version of this book. Once written for idiots like me. Still it was Amazing to think that even though it seemed crazy at times its how our world works.

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17 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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difficult to fully understand but worth a read

it's one of those books that people say you "must read" and I agree; just don't expect it to be an easy read. Some very difficult, hypothetical theories. Some are well explained in layman's terms, others are touched upon as though you should already know the basics. Overall definitely worth a read, and did enjoy it, though it took nearly a month to get through it as it wasn't exactly a page turner.

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14 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Very interesting!

If you're interested in all things space and time then you'll love this! Admittedly I'd hope Stephen Hawking would read it himself but John Sackville does a great job.

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12 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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opened my mind

Hawking is adept at visualising the most complex scenarios.
a brief history of time is a great insight into to the minds of our planets greatest thinkers.

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11 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Why five stars for science?

I am not a clever man. I'm good at my job and quite knowledgeable about my subject. Obviously I'm no scientist either but this book brought me closer to an understanding of the scientific methodology, history and context of the search of human kind for answers. You don't have to be a genius to know that it's a massive subject but this extraordinary person has reasoned and led me in relatively basic terms to an appreciation for this sphere and those who have partaken in it from time immemorial to just about now. It deserves the time you need to listen. I feel a bit richer for the experience. Hence five stars.

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9 people found this helpful

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The classic account of the Universe.

Somewhere I have an early edition of this book, not an unread copy I hasten to add. Following the recent sad news of the death of Stephen Hawking I took the opportunity to buy it again on Kindle and to add the Audible performance. I was pleased to find that the book had been updated with some of the recent developments in the field. What more could I ask?

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8 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A Marvelous Book

This is one of the best books on time and universe. Worth your time and a must read for cosmologists.

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8 people found this helpful