The Universe in a Nutshell

Rapid progress in technology and new knowledge about the structure of the visible and invisible world are forcing theoretical physicists to search for new explanations for the established order of things. But the most intriguing discussions are about space and time.

Since the publication of the global bestseller “A Brief History of Time,” Professor Stephen Hawking has been closely following the development of astrophysics until, finally, it became necessary to bring the broad public up to speed on what has changed at the forefront of science. Meanwhile, we’ve drawn close to understanding the nature of the Universe in all its complexity. In an exciting dialogue with the reader—using formulations accessible to everyone—the author reveals the essence of quantum mechanics, time travel, black holes, and the theory of relativity. As tradition has it, Stephen Hawking assigns the central place to the theory of everything—what we, as ordinary people, call it—or a single field theory, the Holy Grail of modern physics.