Universe in a Nutshell - Stephen Hawking

The Universe in a Nutshell is written by Professor Stephen Hawking and is a sequel to his bestseller "A Brief History of Time". That book was a huge success, but is probably one of the most unread books of all time! I think the reason for this is that, despite the book being written without any mathematical equations in it (except e=mc2), the text is sparsely illustrated and has to deal with such complicated topics as relativity using words only. In writing a sequel, Professor Hawking has wisely illustrated it with copious diagrams explaining the headache inducing concepts he's talking about. In this, he succeeds; The Universe in a Nutshell is a much ...  Read the complete review

The Universe in a Nutshell is a heavy book in more ways than just it's weight. I first encountered the writing of Stephen Hawking with his book, A Brief History of Time (BHT). I managed to get about 3/4 of the way though the book before I was overwhelmed by it all. His more recent book, The Universe in a Nutshell (TUN) is a differnt matter. I have read it cover to cover. Based on this alone it is a major improvement. However, despite the simpler wording and pretty pictures of TUN I am still none the wiser as to the workings of the universe. Most of the knowledge in the book went over my head like water off a ducks back. I like to think of myself as ...  Read the complete review