Stephen William Hawking was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge.
Hawking had a rare early-onset slow-progressing form of motor neurone disease (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS and Lou Gehrig’s disease), that gradually paralysed him over the decades. Even after the loss of his speech, he was still able to communicate through a speech-generating device, initially through use of a hand-held switch, and eventually by using a single cheek muscle.
He was also a popular writer. Sir Hawking is an inspiration to all of us. Here are some of his famous books.
A Brief History of Time
This book takes the readers on a journey into the depth of cosmos right from the big bang theory, through the nature of forces and the world of string theory in physics, to the different forces that constitute the universe itself, summed up as the theory of everything. Although a seemingly huge subject, Hawking tickles the mind of the inquisitive readers through his simple yet eloquent language of physics and mathematics and has even the non-scientific reader get attracted to the enormous universe and working of the cosmos.
The Grand Design
When and how did the universe begin? Why are we here? Is the apparent grand design of our universe evidence for a benevolent creator who set things in motion? Or does science offer another explanation? The most recent scientific thinking about the mysteries of the universe is presented in language marked by both brilliance and simplicity. Model dependent realism, the multiverse, the top-down theory of cosmology, and the unified M-theory – all are revealed here.
The Universe in a Nutshell
The Universe In A Nutshell describes to a general audience the various themes relating to the Lucasian professor’s work, like Godel’s Incompleteness Theorem and P-branes, which is part of the superstring theory in quantum mechanics. The book tells readers about the history and philosophies of modern physics. Professor Hawking seeks to reveal science’s holy grail, which is the indefinable Theory of Everything that is the crux of the cosmos. In his casual and lucid style, he guides the readers through his quest to find and disclose the facts of the universe, from holography to duality, from quantum theory to M-theory, from supersymmetry to supergravity.
Black Holes and Baby Universes
In this book, Hawking leads the readers onto the depths of space, teaching them the beginning of time and space. His discussions start from how stars die and collapse under their own weight along with their subsequent transformation into black holes. He also talks about how, like the stars, the universe, too, had a beginning. Written with the aim to make the readers understand the intricacies of the Universe, this collection of essays teach any layman readers about how to appreciate the wonders of the universe and the various astronomical developments therein.
The world of books 