
The Grand Design
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $12.60
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Steve West
About this listen
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A whirlwind tour of fundamental physics and cosmology.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Fascinating . . . a wealth of ideas [that] leave us with a clearer understanding of modern physics in all its invigorating complexity.”—Los Angeles Times
When and how did the universe begin? Why are we here? What is the nature of reality? Is the apparent “grand design” of our universe evidence of a benevolent creator who set things in motion—or does science offer another explanation? In The Grand Design, Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow present the most illuminating scientific thinking about these and other abiding mysteries of the universe, in nontechnical language marked by brilliance and simplicity.
According to quantum theory, the cosmos does not have just a single existence or history. The authors explain that we ourselves are the product of quantum fluctuations in the early universe and show how quantum theory predicts the “multiverse”—the idea that ours is just one of many universes that appeared spontaneously out of nothing, each with different laws of nature. They conclude with a riveting assessment of M-theory, an explanation of the laws governing our universe that is currently the only viable candidate for a “theory of everything”: the unified theory that Einstein was looking for, which, if confirmed, would represent the ultimate triumph of human reason.
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.
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Elegant Universe
- Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
- By: Brian Greene
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a rare blend of scientific insight and writing as elegant as the theories it explains, Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter-from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas-is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy.
-
-
Well Written, Good Narration
- By Verena on 06-12-09
By: Brian Greene
-
The Theory of Everything
- The Origin and Fate of the Universe
- By: Stephen Hawking
- Narrated by: Michael York
- Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In physicist Stephen Hawking's brilliant opus, A Brief History of Time, he presented us with a bold new look at our universe, how it began, and how our old views of physics and tired theories about the creation of the universe were no longer relevant. In other words, Hawking gave us a new look at our world, our universe, and ourselves. Now, Hawking presents an even more comprehensive look at our universe, its creation, and how we see ourselves within it.
-
-
Shares a lot of text with a Brief History of Time.
- By Roc Myers on 01-07-15
By: Stephen Hawking
-
Brief Answers to the Big Questions
- By: Stephen Hawking, Eddie Redmayne - foreword
- Narrated by: Garrick Hagon, Lucy Hawking, Ben Whishaw
- Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stephen Hawking not only unraveled some of the universe's greatest mysteries but also believed science plays a critical role in fixing problems here on Earth. Now, as we face immense challenges on our planet - including climate change, the threat of nuclear war, and the development of artificial intelligence - he turns his attention to the most urgent issues facing us. Will humanity survive? Should we colonize space? Does God exist? These are just a few of the questions Hawking addresses in this wide-ranging, passionately argued final book from one of the greatest minds in history.
-
-
A wonderful, wonderful listening experience
- By La Traviata on 10-16-18
By: Stephen Hawking, and others
-
A Briefer History of Time
- By: Stephen Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
- Length: 4 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stephen Hawking’s worldwide best seller A Brief History of Time remains a landmark volume in scientific writing. But for those who have asked for a more accessible formulation of its key concepts - the nature of space and time, the role of God in creation, and the history and future of the universe - A Briefer History of Time is Professor Hawking’s response.
-
-
Stick with the original: A brief history of time
- By David Parks on 07-08-08
By: Stephen Hawking, and others
-
The Universe in a Nutshell
- By: Stephen Hawking
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the most influential thinkers of our time, Stephen Hawking is an intellectual icon, known not only for the adventurousness of his ideas but for the clarity and wit with which he expresses them. In this new book Hawking takes us to the cutting edge of theoretical physics, where truth is often stranger than fiction, to explain in laymen’s terms the principles that control our universe.
-
-
This stuff is *hard*
- By Mr. Gone on 07-17-03
By: Stephen Hawking
-
The God Equation
- The Quest for a Theory of Everything
- By: Michio Kaku
- Narrated by: Feodor Chin
- Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Newton discovered the law of gravity, he unified the rules governing the heavens and the Earth. Since then, physicists have been placing new forces into ever-grander theories. But perhaps the ultimate challenge is achieving a monumental synthesis of the two remaining theories—relativity and the quantum theory. This would be the crowning achievement of science, a profound merging of all the forces of nature into one beautiful, magnificent equation to unlock the deepest mysteries in science: What happened before the Big Bang?
-
-
Not what you may think
- By Anne85 on 04-11-21
By: Michio Kaku
-
The Elegant Universe
- Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
- By: Brian Greene
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a rare blend of scientific insight and writing as elegant as the theories it explains, Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter-from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas-is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy.
-
-
Well Written, Good Narration
- By Verena on 06-12-09
By: Brian Greene
-
The Theory of Everything
- The Origin and Fate of the Universe
- By: Stephen Hawking
- Narrated by: Michael York
- Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In physicist Stephen Hawking's brilliant opus, A Brief History of Time, he presented us with a bold new look at our universe, how it began, and how our old views of physics and tired theories about the creation of the universe were no longer relevant. In other words, Hawking gave us a new look at our world, our universe, and ourselves. Now, Hawking presents an even more comprehensive look at our universe, its creation, and how we see ourselves within it.
-
-
Shares a lot of text with a Brief History of Time.
- By Roc Myers on 01-07-15
By: Stephen Hawking
-
Brief Answers to the Big Questions
- By: Stephen Hawking, Eddie Redmayne - foreword
- Narrated by: Garrick Hagon, Lucy Hawking, Ben Whishaw
- Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stephen Hawking not only unraveled some of the universe's greatest mysteries but also believed science plays a critical role in fixing problems here on Earth. Now, as we face immense challenges on our planet - including climate change, the threat of nuclear war, and the development of artificial intelligence - he turns his attention to the most urgent issues facing us. Will humanity survive? Should we colonize space? Does God exist? These are just a few of the questions Hawking addresses in this wide-ranging, passionately argued final book from one of the greatest minds in history.
-
-
A wonderful, wonderful listening experience
- By La Traviata on 10-16-18
By: Stephen Hawking, and others
-
A Briefer History of Time
- By: Stephen Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
- Length: 4 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stephen Hawking’s worldwide best seller A Brief History of Time remains a landmark volume in scientific writing. But for those who have asked for a more accessible formulation of its key concepts - the nature of space and time, the role of God in creation, and the history and future of the universe - A Briefer History of Time is Professor Hawking’s response.
-
-
Stick with the original: A brief history of time
- By David Parks on 07-08-08
By: Stephen Hawking, and others
-
The Universe in a Nutshell
- By: Stephen Hawking
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the most influential thinkers of our time, Stephen Hawking is an intellectual icon, known not only for the adventurousness of his ideas but for the clarity and wit with which he expresses them. In this new book Hawking takes us to the cutting edge of theoretical physics, where truth is often stranger than fiction, to explain in laymen’s terms the principles that control our universe.
-
-
This stuff is *hard*
- By Mr. Gone on 07-17-03
By: Stephen Hawking
-
The God Equation
- The Quest for a Theory of Everything
- By: Michio Kaku
- Narrated by: Feodor Chin
- Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Newton discovered the law of gravity, he unified the rules governing the heavens and the Earth. Since then, physicists have been placing new forces into ever-grander theories. But perhaps the ultimate challenge is achieving a monumental synthesis of the two remaining theories—relativity and the quantum theory. This would be the crowning achievement of science, a profound merging of all the forces of nature into one beautiful, magnificent equation to unlock the deepest mysteries in science: What happened before the Big Bang?
-
-
Not what you may think
- By Anne85 on 04-11-21
By: Michio Kaku
-
Cosmos
- A Personal Voyage
- By: Carl Sagan
- Narrated by: LeVar Burton, Seth MacFarlane, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cosmos is one of the bestselling science books of all time. In clear-eyed prose, Sagan reveals a jewel-like blue world inhabited by a life form that is just beginning to discover its own identity and to venture into the vast ocean of space.
-
-
Over-acting voice actors
- By John on 11-09-17
By: Carl Sagan
-
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
- By: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There's no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil deGrasse Tyson. But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in digestible chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day.
-
-
Disappointing - not much physics
- By Rob Hahn on 07-15-17
-
The Cambridge Lectures
- The Famed Series of Lectures on the Theory of Everything: 30th Anniversary Edition
- By: Stephen Hawking
- Narrated by: Stephen Hawking
- Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stephen W. Hawking's Cambridge lectures, exploring the most complex theories of physics, both past and present, remain the most important scientific theories known of time, space, and the nature of the cosmos. This 30th Anniversary remastered edition of The Cambridge Lectures offers listeners a unique opportunity to hear the full series of seven famed lectures exactly as Professor Hawking presented them during his tenure as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University.
-
-
The Best Stephen Hawking lecture ever !
- By Munday Luna 13 on 10-25-17
By: Stephen Hawking
-
On the Origin of Time
- Stephen Hawking's Final Theory
- By: Thomas Hertog
- Narrated by: Ethan Kelly
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Perhaps the biggest question Stephen Hawking tried to answer in his extraordinary life was how the universe could have created conditions so perfectly hospitable to life. In order to solve this mystery, Hawking studied the big bang origin of the universe, but his early work ran into a crisis when the math predicted many big bangs producing a multiverse—countless different universes, most of which would be far too bizarre to harbor life.
-
-
1960 ’s to 1980’s Re-Hash of History
- By Ron A. Parsons on 11-13-23
By: Thomas Hertog
-
A Universe from Nothing
- Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing
- By: Lawrence M. Krauss
- Narrated by: Lawrence M. Krauss, Simon Vance
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Where did the universe come from? What was there before it? What will the future bring? And finally, why is there something rather than nothing? Krauss’ answers to these and other timeless questions, in a wildly popular lecture on YouTube, has attracted almost a million viewers. One of the few prominent scientists to have actively crossed the chasm between science and popular culture, Krauss reveals that modern science is indeed addressing the question of why there is something rather than nothing—with surprising and fascinating results.
-
-
Read Review Before Buying
- By Nathan on 04-26-18
-
Parallel Worlds
- A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos
- By: Michio Kaku
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Parallel Worlds, world-renowned physicist and best-selling author Michio Kaku - an author who "has a knack for bringing the most ethereal ideas down to earth" (Wall Street Journal) - takes listeners on a fascinating tour of cosmology, M-theory, and its implications for the fate of the universe.
-
-
Misleading title
- By Fara on 09-14-16
By: Michio Kaku
-
Something Deeply Hidden
- Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime
- By: Sean Carroll
- Narrated by: Sean Carroll
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sean Carroll, theoretical physicist and one of this world’s most celebrated writers on science, rewrites the history of 20th-century physics. Already hailed as a masterpiece, Something Deeply Hidden shows for the first time that facing up to the essential puzzle of quantum mechanics utterly transforms how we think about space and time. His reconciling of quantum mechanics with Einstein’s theory of relativity changes, well, everything. Most physicists haven’t even recognized the uncomfortable truth: Physics has been in crisis since 1927.
-
-
The Best Layperson Book on Quantum Physics
- By Conrad Barski on 09-11-19
By: Sean Carroll
-
The Hidden Reality
- Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos
- By: Brian Greene
- Narrated by: Brian Greene
- Length: 13 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There was a time when “universe” meant all there is. Everything. Yet, in recent years discoveries in physics and cosmology have led a number of scientists to conclude that our universe may be one among many. With crystal-clear prose and inspired use of analogy, Brian Greene shows how a range of different “multiverse” proposals emerges from theories developed to explain the most refined observations of both subatomic particles and the dark depths of space.
-
-
This book & Greene's analogies connected Qs to As
- By Blair on 02-02-11
By: Brian Greene
-
The Quantum Universe
- (And Why Anything That Can Happen, Does)
- By: Brian Cox, Jeff Forshaw
- Narrated by: Samuel West
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Quantum Universe, Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw approach the world of quantum mechanics in the same way they did in Why Does E=mc2? and make fundamental scientific principles accessible - and fascinating - to everyone.The subatomic realm has a reputation for weirdness, spawning any number of profound misunderstandings, journeys into Eastern mysticism, and woolly pronouncements on the interconnectedness of all things. Cox and Forshaw's contention? There is no need for quantum mechanics to be viewed this way.
-
-
Not suitable as an audio book
- By SPN on 03-29-22
By: Brian Cox, and others
-
Our Mathematical Universe
- My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality
- By: Max Tegmark
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Max Tegmark leads us on an astonishing journey through past, present and future, and through the physics, astronomy, and mathematics that are the foundation of his work, most particularly his hypothesis that our physical reality is a mathematical structure and his theory of the ultimate multiverse. In a dazzling combination of both popular and groundbreaking science, he not only helps us grasp his often mind-boggling theories, but he also shares with us some of the often surprising triumphs and disappointments that have shaped his life as a scientist.
-
-
Wow!
- By Michael on 02-02-14
By: Max Tegmark
-
Physics of the Impossible
- A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel
- By: Michio Kaku
- Narrated by: Feodor Chin
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One hundred years ago, scientists would have said that lasers, televisions, and the atomic bomb were beyond the realm of physical possibility. In Physics of the Impossible, the renowned physicist Michio Kaku explores to what extent the technologies and devices of science fiction that are deemed equally impossible today might well become commonplace in the future.
-
-
Huge fan of Michio Kaku!!
- By Samantha on 01-26-14
By: Michio Kaku
-
The Fabric of the Cosmos
- Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality
- By: Brian Greene
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 22 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Space and time form the very fabric of the cosmos. Yet they remain among the most mysterious of concepts. Is space an entity? Why does time have a direction? Could the universe exist without space and time? Can we travel to the past?
-
-
Lucid, Revealing, Thorough
- By Matthew on 02-23-04
By: Brian Greene
Critic reviews
“Introduces the reader to topics at the frontier of theoretical physics . . . more clearly for general readers than I have seen before.” (Steven Weinberg, The New York Review of Books)
“Provocative pop science, an exploration of the latest thinking about the origins of our universe.” (The New York Times)
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
The Theory of Everything
- The Origin and Fate of the Universe
- By: Stephen Hawking
- Narrated by: Michael York
- Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In physicist Stephen Hawking's brilliant opus, A Brief History of Time, he presented us with a bold new look at our universe, how it began, and how our old views of physics and tired theories about the creation of the universe were no longer relevant. In other words, Hawking gave us a new look at our world, our universe, and ourselves. Now, Hawking presents an even more comprehensive look at our universe, its creation, and how we see ourselves within it.
-
-
Shares a lot of text with a Brief History of Time.
- By Roc Myers on 01-07-15
By: Stephen Hawking
-
The Universe in a Nutshell
- By: Stephen Hawking
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the most influential thinkers of our time, Stephen Hawking is an intellectual icon, known not only for the adventurousness of his ideas but for the clarity and wit with which he expresses them. In this new book Hawking takes us to the cutting edge of theoretical physics, where truth is often stranger than fiction, to explain in laymen’s terms the principles that control our universe.
-
-
This stuff is *hard*
- By Mr. Gone on 07-17-03
By: Stephen Hawking
-
Brief Answers to the Big Questions
- By: Stephen Hawking, Eddie Redmayne - foreword
- Narrated by: Garrick Hagon, Lucy Hawking, Ben Whishaw
- Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stephen Hawking not only unraveled some of the universe's greatest mysteries but also believed science plays a critical role in fixing problems here on Earth. Now, as we face immense challenges on our planet - including climate change, the threat of nuclear war, and the development of artificial intelligence - he turns his attention to the most urgent issues facing us. Will humanity survive? Should we colonize space? Does God exist? These are just a few of the questions Hawking addresses in this wide-ranging, passionately argued final book from one of the greatest minds in history.
-
-
A wonderful, wonderful listening experience
- By La Traviata on 10-16-18
By: Stephen Hawking, and others
-
A Briefer History of Time
- By: Stephen Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
- Length: 4 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stephen Hawking’s worldwide best seller A Brief History of Time remains a landmark volume in scientific writing. But for those who have asked for a more accessible formulation of its key concepts - the nature of space and time, the role of God in creation, and the history and future of the universe - A Briefer History of Time is Professor Hawking’s response.
-
-
Stick with the original: A brief history of time
- By David Parks on 07-08-08
By: Stephen Hawking, and others
-
A Brief History of Time
- From the Big Bang to Black Holes
- By: Stephen W. Hawking
- Narrated by: Michael Jackson
- Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Told in language we all can understand, A Brief History of Time plunges into the exotic realms of black holes and quarks, of antimatter and “arrows of time,” of the big bang and a bigger God — where the possibilities are wondrous and unexpected. Stephen Hawking brings us closer to the ultimate secrets at the very heart of creation.
-
-
Easily Digestible Presentation of Complex Topics
- By James on 05-19-04
-
Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays
- By: Stephen Hawking
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his phenomenal bestseller A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking literally transformed the way we think about physics, the universe, reality itself. In these thirteen essays and one remarkable extended interview, the man widely regarded as the most brilliant theoretical physicist since Einstein returns to reveal an amazing array of possibilities for understanding our universe.
-
-
My Thughts On this Book
- By Jeff on 04-01-20
By: Stephen Hawking
-
The Theory of Everything
- The Origin and Fate of the Universe
- By: Stephen Hawking
- Narrated by: Michael York
- Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In physicist Stephen Hawking's brilliant opus, A Brief History of Time, he presented us with a bold new look at our universe, how it began, and how our old views of physics and tired theories about the creation of the universe were no longer relevant. In other words, Hawking gave us a new look at our world, our universe, and ourselves. Now, Hawking presents an even more comprehensive look at our universe, its creation, and how we see ourselves within it.
-
-
Shares a lot of text with a Brief History of Time.
- By Roc Myers on 01-07-15
By: Stephen Hawking
-
The Universe in a Nutshell
- By: Stephen Hawking
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 3 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the most influential thinkers of our time, Stephen Hawking is an intellectual icon, known not only for the adventurousness of his ideas but for the clarity and wit with which he expresses them. In this new book Hawking takes us to the cutting edge of theoretical physics, where truth is often stranger than fiction, to explain in laymen’s terms the principles that control our universe.
-
-
This stuff is *hard*
- By Mr. Gone on 07-17-03
By: Stephen Hawking
-
Brief Answers to the Big Questions
- By: Stephen Hawking, Eddie Redmayne - foreword
- Narrated by: Garrick Hagon, Lucy Hawking, Ben Whishaw
- Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stephen Hawking not only unraveled some of the universe's greatest mysteries but also believed science plays a critical role in fixing problems here on Earth. Now, as we face immense challenges on our planet - including climate change, the threat of nuclear war, and the development of artificial intelligence - he turns his attention to the most urgent issues facing us. Will humanity survive? Should we colonize space? Does God exist? These are just a few of the questions Hawking addresses in this wide-ranging, passionately argued final book from one of the greatest minds in history.
-
-
A wonderful, wonderful listening experience
- By La Traviata on 10-16-18
By: Stephen Hawking, and others
-
A Briefer History of Time
- By: Stephen Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
- Length: 4 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stephen Hawking’s worldwide best seller A Brief History of Time remains a landmark volume in scientific writing. But for those who have asked for a more accessible formulation of its key concepts - the nature of space and time, the role of God in creation, and the history and future of the universe - A Briefer History of Time is Professor Hawking’s response.
-
-
Stick with the original: A brief history of time
- By David Parks on 07-08-08
By: Stephen Hawking, and others
-
A Brief History of Time
- From the Big Bang to Black Holes
- By: Stephen W. Hawking
- Narrated by: Michael Jackson
- Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Told in language we all can understand, A Brief History of Time plunges into the exotic realms of black holes and quarks, of antimatter and “arrows of time,” of the big bang and a bigger God — where the possibilities are wondrous and unexpected. Stephen Hawking brings us closer to the ultimate secrets at the very heart of creation.
-
-
Easily Digestible Presentation of Complex Topics
- By James on 05-19-04
-
Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays
- By: Stephen Hawking
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his phenomenal bestseller A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking literally transformed the way we think about physics, the universe, reality itself. In these thirteen essays and one remarkable extended interview, the man widely regarded as the most brilliant theoretical physicist since Einstein returns to reveal an amazing array of possibilities for understanding our universe.
-
-
My Thughts On this Book
- By Jeff on 04-01-20
By: Stephen Hawking
-
Subliminal
- How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior
- By: Leonard Mlodinow
- Narrated by: Leonard Mlodinow
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Leonard Mlodinow, the best-selling author of The Drunkard’s Walk and coauthor of The Grand Design (with Stephen Hawking), gives us a startling and eye-opening examination of how the unconscious mind shapes our experience of the world and how, for instance, we often misperceive our relationships with family, friends, and business associates, misunderstand the reasons for our investment decisions, and misremember important events.
-
-
Pretty Good
- By Bob on 06-24-12
By: Leonard Mlodinow
-
The Elegant Universe
- Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
- By: Brian Greene
- Narrated by: Erik Davies
- Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a rare blend of scientific insight and writing as elegant as the theories it explains, Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter-from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas-is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy.
-
-
Well Written, Good Narration
- By Verena on 06-12-09
By: Brian Greene
-
On the Origin of Time
- Stephen Hawking's Final Theory
- By: Thomas Hertog
- Narrated by: Ethan Kelly
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Perhaps the biggest question Stephen Hawking tried to answer in his extraordinary life was how the universe could have created conditions so perfectly hospitable to life. In order to solve this mystery, Hawking studied the big bang origin of the universe, but his early work ran into a crisis when the math predicted many big bangs producing a multiverse—countless different universes, most of which would be far too bizarre to harbor life.
-
-
1960 ’s to 1980’s Re-Hash of History
- By Ron A. Parsons on 11-13-23
By: Thomas Hertog
-
The God Equation
- The Quest for a Theory of Everything
- By: Michio Kaku
- Narrated by: Feodor Chin
- Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Newton discovered the law of gravity, he unified the rules governing the heavens and the Earth. Since then, physicists have been placing new forces into ever-grander theories. But perhaps the ultimate challenge is achieving a monumental synthesis of the two remaining theories—relativity and the quantum theory. This would be the crowning achievement of science, a profound merging of all the forces of nature into one beautiful, magnificent equation to unlock the deepest mysteries in science: What happened before the Big Bang?
-
-
Not what you may think
- By Anne85 on 04-11-21
By: Michio Kaku
-
The Cambridge Lectures
- The Famed Series of Lectures on the Theory of Everything: 30th Anniversary Edition
- By: Stephen Hawking
- Narrated by: Stephen Hawking
- Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stephen W. Hawking's Cambridge lectures, exploring the most complex theories of physics, both past and present, remain the most important scientific theories known of time, space, and the nature of the cosmos. This 30th Anniversary remastered edition of The Cambridge Lectures offers listeners a unique opportunity to hear the full series of seven famed lectures exactly as Professor Hawking presented them during his tenure as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University.
-
-
The Best Stephen Hawking lecture ever !
- By Munday Luna 13 on 10-25-17
By: Stephen Hawking
-
Theories of the Universe
- By: Stephen Hawking
- Narrated by: Julian Lopez-Morillas
- Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The theoretical physicist shares his thoughts on the nature of space and time in this anthology of selections from Princeton University Press. Along with eminent colleagues, Hawking extends theoretical frontiers by speculating on the big questions of modern cosmology.
-
-
Very informative primer on theoretical physics
- By Anonymous User on 06-08-23
By: Stephen Hawking
-
A Universe from Nothing
- Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing
- By: Lawrence M. Krauss
- Narrated by: Lawrence M. Krauss, Simon Vance
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Where did the universe come from? What was there before it? What will the future bring? And finally, why is there something rather than nothing? Krauss’ answers to these and other timeless questions, in a wildly popular lecture on YouTube, has attracted almost a million viewers. One of the few prominent scientists to have actively crossed the chasm between science and popular culture, Krauss reveals that modern science is indeed addressing the question of why there is something rather than nothing—with surprising and fascinating results.
-
-
Read Review Before Buying
- By Nathan on 04-26-18
-
The Complete Idiot's Guide to String Theory
- By: George Musser
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We're living in the midst of a scientific revolution that's captured the general public's attention and imagination. The aim of this new revolution is to develop a "theory of everything," a set of laws of physics that will explain all that can be explained, ranging from the tiniest subatomic particle to the universe as a whole. Here, readers will learn the ideas behind the theories and their effects upon our world, our civilization, and ourselves.
-
-
tough to listen to
- By Alan Lewis on 11-08-09
By: George Musser
-
From Eternity to Here
- The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time
- By: Sean Carroll
- Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
- Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Time moves forward, not backward---everyone knows you can't unscramble an egg. In the hands of one of today's hottest young physicists, that simple fact of breakfast becomes a doorway to understanding the Big Bang, the universe, and other universes, too. In From Eternity to Here, Sean Carroll argues that the arrow of time, pointing resolutely from the past to the future, owes its existence to conditions before the Big Bang itself---a period of modern cosmology of which Einstein never dreamed.
-
-
Great Book For Cosmology Lovers
- By Mardon on 10-24-11
By: Sean Carroll
-
The First Three Minutes
- A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe
- By: Steven Weinberg
- Narrated by: Raymond Todd
- Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Our universe has been growing for nearly 14 billion years. But almost everything about it, from the elements that forged stars, planets, and lifeforms, to the fundamental forces of physics, can be traced back to what happened in just the first three minutes of its existence. In this book, Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg describes in wonderful detail what happened in these first three minutes.
-
-
All things are born in the stars
- By RWW on 11-23-22
By: Steven Weinberg
-
Genome
- The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters
- By: Matt Ridley
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Arguably the most significant scientific discovery of the new century, the mapping of the 23 pairs of chromosomes that make up the human genome raises almost as many questions as it answers - questions that will profoundly impact the way we think about disease, about longevity, and about free will. Questions that will affect the rest of your life. Matt Ridley here probes the scientific, philosophical, and moral issues arising as a result of the mapping of the genome.
-
-
Still useful today.
- By Gary on 05-21-12
By: Matt Ridley
-
The Fabric of the Cosmos
- Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality
- By: Brian Greene
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 22 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Space and time form the very fabric of the cosmos. Yet they remain among the most mysterious of concepts. Is space an entity? Why does time have a direction? Could the universe exist without space and time? Can we travel to the past?
-
-
Lucid, Revealing, Thorough
- By Matthew on 02-23-04
By: Brian Greene
What listeners say about The Grand Design
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- George
- 06-11-12
Clear presentation, understandable to the lay man.
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I already have recommended it to a friend who shares an interest in the advancement of scientific understanding, for the reasons cited in the headline.
Who was your favorite character and why?
The cosmos, because it exceeds Cleopatra in its infinite variety and mysterious allure and secondarily the cleverness of the detectives in following the clues in the most recent chapter, while posing mysteries yet unsolved.
What about Steve West’s performance did you like?
I thought it excelent.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
If you mean was it sufficently intriguing to want not to put it down, the answer is yes. However the length precluded that and it was equally gratifying to look forward to the remainder.
Any additional comments?
I could only wish that Hawkings could accept the intelligent action of a devine being and not be held by the belief that intelligence is a relatively recent development. Eveything about everything makes more sense to me with that belief I hold, that God is and that the ellivated consciousness of man has produced riches in art, literature and thought, seeking harmony with that Being.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Errol
- 12-09-11
Overall a good book!
What did you love best about The Grand Design?
A good review of the scientific advances for 70% of the book.
Any additional comments?
The concepts of quantum physics and multiple dimensions are difficult to understand beyond the initial simple introductions. The written book might make it easier to stop and contemplate these concepts, especially it they were associated with graphics. Overall I enjoyed the book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Larry
- 04-01-16
Science geek worthy
Very clear very easy on the ears and worthy of any science nut out there
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lee
- 09-03-12
Complex Science/Philosophy Clearly Presented
If you could sum up The Grand Design in three words, what would they be?
Condensed -- Comprehensible -- Pithy
Who was your favorite character and why?
Although esoteric by their sheer complexity, both astrophysics, with its quarks and nutrinos, and contemplative philosophy are topics both enigmatic and yet intriguing. Hawking takes these seemingly contradictory disciplines and weaves a tapestry with them that is both logically formulated, definitively expressed and, most importantly, captures your attention. His mosaic is clearly understood in terms common to the lay person.
Have you listened to any of Steve West’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No. Mr West's presentation is well enunciated with pleasant intonation and at a pace which permits the listener ample time to cogently process the data presented.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Although no exact moment is definable, yet the amalgamation (summation if you will) of these divergent disciplines was quite excellently presented. Hawking presents not only his scientific conclusions but, equally importantly, his philosophical perspectives as a result.
Any additional comments?
Best listened to two or three times with a month or more between listenings to process and appreciate the scope of the data presented as well as its application, if any, for the individual.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Eugenia De Risio
- 01-24-21
Mind. Blown.
This was my first Hawking book and I admit I forgot he was British. But his dey 1 liners sprinkled throughout gave me a good chuckle as he explains our existince with science.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- germano
- 07-01-18
great book.
Just as good as Stephen's other books. good examples. well written. subtle sense of humor.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Julia W.
- 07-04-21
Complex astrophysics & Quantum Mechanics explained clearly.
Enjoyed this comprehensive physics course by Stephen Hawking, narrated superbly by Steve West. Listen twice to chapters to attain and understand the complex mechanics of these universal cosmic theories..
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Oscar Vestlie
- 05-15-21
Great explanations for very complex physics
I especially like how they explain why we live in a universe with the fundamental laws the way they are.
Overall a worthwhile read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- ATECH24 WEBSTORE
- 03-22-18
Loved it, loved the humor.
I loved the book, had to keep rewinding to keep pace with the ideas, but the transition across the ideas was well implemented. the Anecdotes within the book helped a lot, simple humour, but totally worth its weight.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jorge
- 02-22-12
Radical Thinking
Where does The Grand Design rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Average; I believe the story is good, but there are some 'jokes' in the story, that could be narrated better. In general it does require some general knowledge of physics, and it could be very abstract in some parts.
What did you like best about this story?
I like the ideas in terms they are scientifically supported, but also radical in nature, able to explain many things that had being teach by religion like 'dogmas'; nice to some other explanations
What about Steve West’s performance did you like?
It is good, but not outstanding, some of the parts were narrated pretty fast, specially the more hard concepts, could go a little bit slower; also as I mention, having little more 'emotion' when telling the story 'jokes'
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It did make thing a lot, reflection mode, it would be quite 'chocking' for a very religion person
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!