Stephen W. Hawking
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Profile Major Works Other Works Works About SH Links |
       Born in Oxford, England, on 8 January 1942, Stephen William Hawking attended University College in Oxford, studying physics and graduating with honors in natural Science without working very hard. After his PhD in Cosmology at Cambridge (1966), he became a Research Fellow, then a Professional Fellow at other institutions, then joined the Department of Applied Mathematics & Theoretical Physics at Cambridge in 1973. In 1979, he attained the post of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics (established in 1663).
       His general subject has been the basic laws which govern the universe, including Einstien's theories, quantum physics, the origin of the universe, and what have become known as 'black holes'. He published the technical book "Large Scale Structure of Space-Time" in 1971, and soon afterwards developed the theory that under certain conditions, black holes could indeed emit subatomic particles; this has since been termed 'Hawking Radiation'. He was awarded the title 'Commander of the British Empire' in 1982.
       Hawking became a household name upon publication of "A Brief History of Time" (1988) which was a Book-of-the-Month Club Selection and has sold 9 million copies to date; the book was later made into a documentary feature by Errol Morris (1992). Hawking's second best-seller was "Black Holes and Baby Universes & Other Essays" in 1994.
       The symptoms of his disability began to appear at college, around 1963, and was finally diagnosed as the incurable amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or 'A.L.S.', which is also known as 'Lou Gehrig's Disease'. Up to 1974, Hawking could still fend for himself, but the disease worsened, requiring care by nurses from 1980, then 24-hour care after a bout with pneumonia in 1985. He currently uses an electric wheelchair to get around, and a computerized voice synthesizer operated by facial muscles in order to speak.
       He had three children by his wife Jane, and now has a grandchild. Jane began an approved affair with a friend in 1985; in 1990, the couple separated and Stephen became involved with his nurse, Elaine Mason; they married in 1995. Ex-wife Jane married her long-time lover in 1996, and wrote a book about her marriage to Hawking; the book was published in August 1999.
       Professor Hawking has appeared on 'Larry King Live' on C.N.N., and as a character on the 'Simpsons' cartoon tv series. He currently travels the world giving lectures and interviews and attending symposiums, acoompanied by his attendants, and until recently by his second wife (they filed for divorce in October 2006).
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"The Illustrated Theory of Everything" [2003]
New Millenium hardcover [10/2003] for $27.97 |
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"Stephen W. Hawking's Life Works: The Cambridge Lectures" [1994] read by Stephen W. Hawking! Dove UNABR audio [2/94] 4 tapes out of stock/used Dove book & UNABR audio set [6/96] out of stock/used |
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"Universe in a Nutshell" & "Illustrated Brief History of Time" Boxed Set [2002]
Random House slipcase hardcover [10/2002] for $50.00 |
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"The Theory of Everything: The Origin & Fate of the Universe" [2002]
Hawking and his lawyers have sued New Millenium (aka Dove Audio), saying that the book and audio tapes due to be published in June 2002 are 'a fraud on the public'. When I found this out, I removed the links to Amazon. Do not buy these books or audio tapes. |
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"The Universe in a Nutshell" [2001] Bantam 10x7¼ hardcover [11/2001] for $24.50 Bantam ABRIDGED audio [11/2001] for $18.17 Bantam ABRIDGED audio CD [11/2001] for $20.96 |
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"A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes" [1988]
Bantam 9x6 pb [9/98] for $11.17 Bantam 9¼x6¼ hardcover [10/98] for $19.57 Audio Lit UNABR [11/2001] for $17.50 Dove UNABR audio [10/88] out of stock/used |
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"The Illustrated Brief History of Time Updated & Expanded Edition" [2001]
Bantam 10x8 pb [1/2001] for $39.95 "ABHoT: A Reader's Companion" [1992]
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1992 Movie Directed by Errol Morris Original music by Philip Glass Paramount color VHS [11/93] out of stock/used color DVD not yet available full credits from IMDb |
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"Steven Hawking's Universe: The Cosmos Explained" [1998] with David Filkin Basic Books 9x7 pb [10/98] for $14.00 Basic Books hardcover [10/97] out of print/used |
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P.B.S. six-part mini-series [1997]
color VHS 3-tape set for $43.98 color DVD 3-disc set for $53.98 PBS website   |  full credits from IMDb |
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"Black Holes and Baby Universes & Other Essays" [13 essays 1994]
Bantam 9x6 pb [10/94] for $11.87 Bantam 9¼x6¼ hardcover [10/93] out of print/used Bantam UNABR audio [10/93] for $17.47 |
Other Works
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"On the Shoulders of Giants" [2002] Edited by Stephen Hawking Running Press 9x6 pb [12/2003] for $15.37 Running Press hardcover [9/2002] for $20.97 |
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"The Future of Spacetime" [2002]
Edited by Stephen W. Hawking W.W.Norton 8¼x5½ pb [6/2003] for $11.17 W.W.Norton 8½x5¾ hardcover [6/2002] for $18.17 |
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"The Nature of Space & Time" [1996] with Roger Penrose Princeton Univ Press 9x6 pb [10/2000] for $11.96 Princeton Univ Press hardcover [1/96] for $49.50 |
"Euclidean Quantum Gravity" [1993]
by G.W. Gibbons & S.W. Hawking
World Scientific hardcover [5/93] for $56.00
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"Three Hundred Years of Gravitation" [1989] with Werner Israel Cambridge Univ Press 9½x7 pb [4/89] for $64.95 |
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"The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time" [1973] with G.F.R. Ellis Cambridge Univ Press 9x6 pb [2/75] for $58.00 |
Works About Stephen Hawking
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"Stephen Hawking & The Mind of God" [2000] by Peter Coles Icon/Totem 7x4 pb [6/2000] for $7.95 |
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"Music to Move the Stars: A Life with Stephen Hawking" [1999] by Jane Hawking Trans-Atlantic pb [12/2000] for $15.95 Trans-Atlantic hardcover [11/99] out of print/used |
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"Hawking & Black Holes" [Big Idea Series 1998] by Paul Strathern Anchor/Doubleday 8x5 pb [8/98] for $9.95 |
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"Introducing Stephen Hawking" [1995] by J.P. McEvoy & Oscar Zarate Icon/Totem 8x5½ pb [9/95] for $8.76 |
"Great Science Writers of the Decade" [1995]
Hawking, Gleick, Ferris & others
Dove/NewStar audio [8/95] 4 tapes out of stock/used
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"Stephen Hawking: Quest for A Theory of Everything" [1992] by Kitty Ferguson Bantam 7x5 pb [8/92] for $7.50 |
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"Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science" [1992] by Michael White & John Gribbin Joseph Henry Press pb [11/2002] for $12.57 Plume 8x5¼ pb [6/93] out of print/used Dutton hardcover [6/92] out of print/used |
Links 
Stephen Hawking's Official Website
Working Minds website Quantum Physics page
PBS/WNET mini-series website {videos above}
Lecture & Article Links
"60 Years In A Nutshell" lecture of 11 Jan 2002 {online BBC transcript}
"A Brief History of Relativity" [Time Magazine 'Man of the century' issue]
online text "Life In The Universe" public lecture (undated)
online text "Beginning of Time" lecture (undated)
online text 'Origin of the Universe' lecture (1988)
Quantum Cosmology, M-theory & the Anthropic Principle
Jan 1999 'No Boundary Proposal' lecture online text
Sept 1999 updated version {.ps file download/open 734KB}
essay "Stephen Hawking & the No Boundary Proposal" by Devin Harris
quantum theory category at Amazon.com