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The Grand Design [Paperback]

Stephen Hawking (Author), Leonard Mlodinow (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (151 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: 18 Aug 2011

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? In The Grand Design, 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.

This is the first major work in nearly a decade by one of the world's greatest thinkers. A succinct, startling and lavishly illustrated guide to discoveries that are altering our understanding and threatening some of our most cherished belief systems, The Grand Design is a book that will inform - and provoke - like no other.

Frequently Bought Together

The Grand Design + A Brief History Of Time: From Big Bang To Black Holes + The Quantum Universe: Everything that can happen does happen
Price For All Three: £19.32

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Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam (18 Aug 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0553819224
  • ISBN-13: 978-0553819229
  • Product Dimensions: 1.4 x 13.2 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (151 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,649 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Authors

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Leonard Mlodinow
Stephen Hawking

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Review

"This is mind-blowing stuff" (The Sunday Times )

Book Description

New answers to the ultimate questions of life from the world's most famous living scientist.
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Inside This Book (Learn More)
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
91 of 98 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A good summary of our current cosmological understanding 7 Oct 2010
By David Love
Format:Hardcover
Stephen Hawking's new book, "The Grand Design" (written together with Leonard Mlodinow), is his first popular science book for about ten years. It seems to have created quite a stir in the non-scientific press, although in reality the book is very much in line with our latest theories in cosmology. Science began with the ancient Greeks, and the book starts off with a summary of their ideas. After a gap of some 1,400 years, a scientific approach to the Universe was revived by men such as Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes and Newton. Hawking goes on to describe the history of scientific advances since then, and introduces ideas of what is meant by reality and what constitutes a scientific theory. He introduces us to the mysteries of quantum mechanics and relativity, and explains how our understanding of the Big Bang is growing as a result of our studies of the cosmic microwave background radiation.

But the key part of the book comes when Hawking describes something called M-theory, the leading candidate for the "theory of everything" which it is hoped will unite the two (currently incompatible, but highly successful) theories of quantum mechanics and general relativity. Both M-theory and other strands of evidence increasingly point to the conclusion that our Universe is not, after all, the only universe. The implication of these latest theories is that there are billions - and probably an infinite number - of other universes, each with their own physical laws and physical constants. This is the theory of the Multiverse. At a stroke, the theory explains why there are features of our own Universe which make it suitable for life; this is simply because we could only ever have evolved in the tiny minority of universes with the right set of physical laws.

All in all, a fascinating read. If you want to give a mind-blowing Christmas present to somebody, this is the one.
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37 of 41 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed content 18 Feb 2011
By CP
Format:Hardcover
"Philosophy is dead", the authors declare very early on, and then roundly prove over the next few chapters why they could have done with the services of a good philosopher. Hawking is known, of course, for his ground-breaking science, but not for his analysis of the history of knowledge or the social progress of our culture. Unfortunately, a substantial part of this book is dedicated to those topics, and makes for a short-sighted and naive read. Once the writing turns to actual science, its value greatly increases: the major elements of relativity and quantum mechanics are summed up simply and clearly, then form the basis for explanations of newer work such as M-Theory. Hawking has written better about his (and others') work, but if you're looking for the most up-to-date and/or easily read version, then this book is worth its very reasonable cover price. It's a short and superficial book, however, so if you're looking for anything in-depth you are likely to be disappointed.
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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Almost back to the beginning! 24 Oct 2010
By John
Format:Hardcover
Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow have made yet another stab to popularise the exploration of how the universe began. I read it interspersed with Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw's book "Why does e=mc2" which I found as a lapsed mathematician to be much more readable, understandable and less opinionated than the Hawking/Mlodinow text, which left me feeling strangely empty towards the end, as if they couldn't quite reach the final point they were trying to make: is it because that point is beyond mathematical comprehension? Read both and decide!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars I am a nerd...leave me alone.
I love these books as they really make you think, I can say that it is for the more casual reader based on the illustrations within. Read more
Published 7 days ago by Mr S F P Bennett
2.0 out of 5 stars An excellent purchase if you dont have "A brief history of time"...
I did say an excellent purchase and only gave it 2 stars because I do have a brief history already and this is pretty much the same book. Read more
Published 13 days ago by Karl Kirkby
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Gave me everything I wanted. Was full of information, but wasn't explained in a way which was too complicated to understand.
Great Book
Published 17 days ago by SARA FENTON
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent
It was a very easy read, loved it. Arrived on the day I was told it would. nothing could have been simpler.
Published 22 days ago by chris
5.0 out of 5 stars The Grand Design
Confirms the obvious - multi universes. So simply explained one would also like a sequel with more back up substance.
Published 1 month ago by Andrew Roland
3.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Bought this for my boyfriend for Christmas
Brilliant book but the cover was scratched and the pages were bent at the corners
Published 1 month ago by Jordan Parker
1.0 out of 5 stars great piece of SATANIC SCIENCE FICTION
This book is utter nonsense. It is full of triple-contradictions and the science is non-existant. I hope the readers have a brain to dismiss such drivel. Read more
Published 2 months ago by pemsbooks
5.0 out of 5 stars Gift
This was again for my husband as it is his type of book. He must like it as he asked for it and has read it
Published 2 months ago by Julie Maslowski
5.0 out of 5 stars Meccanica quantistica e universo
It is a very challenging book. Some chapters explaining facts that are out of our direct experience are difficult to believe. Read more
Published 2 months ago by RBerchi
5.0 out of 5 stars Thank You!
Thank you Stephen for putting physics I would've once thought light years ahead of me into manageable concepts I can understand and relate to, if only my physics teachers shared... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Patrick Low
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