Publication of A Brief History of Time

A Brief History of Time is a popular science book by the physicist Stephen Hawking, written to explain the universe to readers with no scientific training. It covers topics such as the Big Bang, black holes, light cones, the arrow of time and the search for a unified theory of physics, using few equations. The book was introduced by the astronomer Carl Sagan and became an unexpected publishing sensation, staying on bestseller lists for years and selling many millions of copies in dozens of languages. Hawking, who was disabled by motor neurone disease, became a household name partly because of its success. He later published updated and shorter versions of the work.

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