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A Briefer History of Time cover art

A Briefer History of Time

Written by: Stephen Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow
Narrated by: Erik Davies
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Publisher's Summary

From one of the most brilliant minds of our time comes an audiobook that clarifies his most important ideas.

Stephen Hawking’s worldwide best seller A Brief History of Time remains a landmark volume in scientific writing. But for those who have asked for a more accessible formulation of its key concepts - the nature of space and time, the role of God in creation, and the history and future of the universe - A Briefer History of Time is Professor Hawking’s response.   

Although “briefer”, this audiobook is much more than a mere explanation of Hawking’s earlier work. A Briefer History of Time both clarifies and expands on the great subjects of the original and records the latest developments in the field - from string theory to the search for a unified theory of all the forces of physics. Thirty-seven full-color illustrations enhance the text and make A Briefer History of Time an exhilarating and must-have addition in its own right to the great literature of science and ideas.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2005 Stephen Hawking (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

What the critics say

"Readers will come away with an excellent understanding of the apparent contradictions and conundrums at the forefront of contemporary physics....Throughout these discussions, the authors maintain the same wry, lively tone that made the original Brief History such a delight." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about A Briefer History of Time

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

First half of the book is fantastic, the rest not so much

This book provides a nice and contextualized framework on newtonian physics and general relativity. In addition, it have enough information so that one can understand quantum physics at a high level.

I would be a five star review had the authors have the same care towards explaining in more detail the findings of quantum mechanics. I feel like chapter 03 in particular was rushed with a ton of information and implications that are hard to digest without proper context, so I felt more like I was listening to a story that actually learning something.

Also, there’s too much about god (the catholic one). I’m aware many of the brilliant scientists depicted in the book were believers (nothing wrong with that), but the book itself dedicates quite a lot to conjectures on the nature and the limits of god and it’s hypothetical role in the universe. It’s just not necessary and frankly quite annoying.

But overall it is a great book, and it opened my mind to so many new and exciting concepts on how the universe works. It feels like a great starting point to all the concepts illustrated.

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

Amazing book.

Good voice actor. Interesting content. 5 stars. No complaints. I would recommend this book to all.

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

Amazing, brilliantly executed

This book is fantastic for people who are highly interested in the unification of different theories. Not for beginners, you need to have, at minimum, a basic understanding of Thermodynamics, Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Physics, Electromagnetism and String Theory. Really well put together, brilliantly executed.

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