A behind-the-scenes tour of the inner sanctum of one of the world’s most prominent scientific thinkers. In 2021, The Science Museum made a once-in-a-lifetime acquisition of the contents of Stephen Hawking’s office. This book delves into that remarkable collection, using the seminal papers, items, and curiosities in his office to explain his theories and reveal more about one of the greatest minds in modern science. It’s an unprecedented glimpse into the life of the best-known scientist of modern times. Artifacts include: A Simpsons bomber jacket gifted to him following his appearance on the show A copy of Hawking’s PhD thesis: Properties of an Expanding Universe Singularities and the Geometry of Space, written at the beginning of his vital collaboration with Roger Penrose His blackboard, where he debated ideas and doodled with his contemporaries Scientific bets made with colleagues to prove (and sometimes disprove) his theories His Permobil F3 wheelchair and communications systems Hawking’s Franklin medal and his CBE "In this unique book, Roger Highfield's clear expositions of Stephen Hawking's ideas are supplemented by fascinating illustrations that convey how he lived and worked. It's a beautifully-presented celebration of Stephen's amazing life – how his insights and discoveries were achieved against heavy odds." - Martin Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow and Astronomer Royal

Describes the life and accomplishments of the world-famous English physicist who suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

A behind-the scenes tour of the inner sanctum of one of the world's most prominent scientific thinkers. In 2021, the Science Museum made a once-in-a-lifetime acquisition of the contents of Stephen Hawking's office. This book delves into that remarkable collection, using the seminal papers, items and curiosities in his office to explain his theories and reveal more about one of the greatest minds in modern science. It's an unprecedented glimpse into the life of the best-known scientist of modern times.

Physicist Stephen Hawking was a scientist for the modern age. He is as renowned for his theories on time and space as he is for his unique life story. Undeterred by a debilitating illness, he trained his mind to work in a new way to become the leading light in modern science. This carefully researched biography tells Hawking’s story, highlighting his scientific breakthroughs and how, despite his struggle with a degenerative condition, he became the most celebrated and inspiring scientist of his generation. A beautiful design includes striking photographs, illuminating documents, and helpful sidebars that cast light on Hawking’s intellectual achievements.

GENIUS MINDS: Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking - 2 Books in 1!Featuring*Albert Einstein*Stephen Hawking 2 Great Books In 1! Albert Einstein Albert Einstein is the most recognizable face of science. The man who created the theory of relativity, alongside so many other breakthroughs in the world of physics, though, was so much more than just a scientist. A philosopher, musician, humanitarian. A pacifist. Einstein was never a man to back down in a fight, and never one to accept the words of authority if they were unjustified, or harmful to others. The kindly, white haired old man, was a flawed genius. A man who possessed excellence in science, a deep love for humanity, struggled in his personal life. This is the story of Albert Einstein, the greatest intellect of the twentieth century, perhaps of all time. Stephen Hawking Dennis William Sciama (1926 - 1999) was a don at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. He was one of the most eminent physicists of his time. In 1963 he was informed that he was to receive a new pupil, a young man from Oxford who wished to undertake his doctoral thesis under his tutelage. There was nothing unusual in this. Mentoring new pupils was part and parcel of a university academic's life. However the new pupil seemed, on the face of it, unremarkable. In fact he had the reputation of a lazy and somewhat difficult student. In his written exam at Oxford he had achieved neither a first nor a second degree. A first would have entitled him to undertake postgraduate studies at Cambridge; a second at Oxford. He had to submit to an oral exam, an ordeal that terrified him but nevertheless impressed his examiners who remarked that they faced intelligence greater than there on. After a while Sciama also agreed that he was dealing with a highly potent intellect. This man was only 21 years old and moreover had just been given 2 years to live. His name was Stephen William Hawking. Since then, Stephen Hawking has gone on to become one of the most eminent scientists of his generation, internationally respected and famous for his work. This is his story.

In 1963 Stephen Hawking was given two years to live. Defying all the odds, he died in March 2018 at age seventy-six as the most celebrated scientist in the world. This carefully researched and updated biography and tribute gives a rich picture of Hawking's remarkable life - his childhood, the heart-rending beginning of his struggle with motor neurone disease, his ever-increasing international fame, and his long personal battle for survival in pursuit of a scientific understanding of the universe. From more recent years, Kitty Ferguson describes his inspiring leadership at the London Paralympic Games, the release of the film The Theory of Everything, his continuing work on black holes and the origin of the universe, the discovery of 'supertranslations', and the astounding 'Starshot' program. Here also are his intense concern for the future of the Earth and his use of his celebrity to fight for environmental and humanitarian causes, and, finally, a ground-breaking paper he was working on at the time of his death, in which he took issue with some of his own earlier theories. Throughout, Ferguson summarizes and explains the cutting-edge science in which Hawking was engaged and offers vivid first-hand descriptions of his funeral in Cambridge and the interment of his ashes in Westminster Abbey. This is an amazing and revealing tribute, assessing Hawking's legacy in and out of science.

A Gripping Account Of A Physicist Whose Speculations Could Prove As Revolutionary As Those Of Albert Einstein... It Can Be Consulted As A Clear And Authoritative Guide Through Three Decades Of Hawking S Central Contributions To Cosmology. - Bernard Dixon In The New Statesman & Society Excellent... From The Opening Pages, Which Relate The Occasion When Shirley Maclaine Sought An Audience With Her Hero In A Cambridge Restaurant, To The Final Chapter On Hollywood, Fame And Fortune , The Book Is Well-Nigh Unputdownable... [It] Ought To Be Read Alongside A Brief History Of Time As A Kind Of Explanatory Supplement. - Heather Cooper In The Times Educational Supplement Fascinating... What Makes This Book So Rewarding Is The Way That The Authors Have Blended Their Account Of Hawking S Science With That Of His Life, Giving A Picture Of A Remarkable Scientist As A Remarkable Person. - Tony Osman In The Spectator It S Compulsive Reading, Maybe Because Hawking Towers Above It All, A Complex And Fascinating Character Who Remains Strangely Elusive: Boyish Yet Indomitable, Stubborn Yet Charming, A Private Man Revelling In Fame. - Clare Francis In The Sunday Express [Their Book] Conveys How Scientific Research Is Not Just A Dry Intellectual Pursuit But An Adventure Full Of Joy, Despair And Humour, And Fraught With The Sort Of Inter-Personal Problems And Rivalries Which Mark All Human Endeavours. - Bernard Carr In The Independent On Sunday Few Scientists Become Legends In Their Own Lifetime. Stephen Hawking Is One. It Is Good To Have This Well-Documented And Immensely Readable Biography To Remind Us That The Media-Hyped Mute Genius In The Wheelchair Is In Fact A Sensitive, Humorous, Ambitious And Occasionally Wilful Human Being. - Paul Davies In The Times Higher Education Supplement