A Briefer History of Time

In 1988, the book “A Brief History of Time” was published. Its author, the famous British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking—who made a number of important and paradoxical discoveries in black hole theory—set out to introduce non-specialists to the most exciting mysteries of the universe. The book was an unprecedented success. For 237 weeks it remained on the London “Sunday Times” bestseller list. Hawking received countless letters from all over the world. Readers hoped to see a new version of the book—one that would be even more accessible and entertaining.

And then came “A Briefer History of Time.” Stephen Hawking worked on it together with Leonard Mlodinow, a string theory specialist, author of a number of popular science books, and screenwriter for the science-fiction series “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” The book is not limited to discussing modern scientific ideas—it reveals the deeper motivations behind fundamental research. It also does not shy away from controversial questions about which scientists still have no settled opinion.

At the center of the authors’ attention are the fundamental problems of science and philosophy. How did the universe arise, and where is it headed? What forces underlie its development? What is the nature of space and time? How did science obtain knowledge about them, and how reliable is that knowledge? Is there hope to create a single theory of everything? Why is our world the way we observe it? And perhaps the most interesting question that even Albert Einstein asked: Did God have freedom when creating the universe?