Stephen Hawking
Making the deepest mysteries of the universe accessible to everyone through brilliant popular science writing.
Biography
Stephen Hawking was a British theoretical physicist and cosmologist who became one of the most famous scientists of the modern era. Born in Oxford in 1942, he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease at 21 but went on to hold the Lucasian Professorship of Mathematics at Cambridge for thirty years. His 1988 bestseller A Brief History of Time made complex cosmological concepts accessible to millions and spent a record-breaking 237 weeks on the Sunday Times bestseller list. Hawking's groundbreaking work on black holes and the origins of the universe, combined with his extraordinary personal story, made him a global icon of scientific inquiry until his death in 2018.
Best Starting Book
A Brief History of Time
The book that proved cutting-edge physics could be a page-turner β Hawking's gift for analogy and his playful curiosity make even quantum mechanics feel approachable.
Reading Order
A Brief History of Time
The landmark popular science book that made black holes and the Big Bang dinner-table conversation β the essential starting point.
The Universe in a Nutshell
A richly illustrated sequel that updates and expands on Brief History with string theory, branes, and the shape of time.
The Grand Design
Co-written with Leonard Mlodinow, it tackles the ultimate question: why does the universe exist at all?
Brief Answers to the Big Questions
Hawking's final book, addressing humanity's greatest questions from God to AI to space colonization with characteristic wit.
Black Holes and Baby Universes
A collection of essays and lectures offering a more personal glimpse into Hawking's thinking and life philosophy.