The Universe in a Nutshell
by Stephen Hawking
Random House, £16.99, ISBN 1856866661
In 1995, my wife and I went on a tour of Egypt, booked from London. We became friends with an English lady who was a double widow, both husbands having been “joiners” (carpenters in American). She had brought along a copy of Stephen Hawking’s phenomenal best seller, “A Brief History of Time”. She did not open it once during the trip. Later, back in England, we visited her home. “Had she read the book?” I asked. No, she had not.
I had heard it said that Hawking’s book was probably the least read of any bestseller, although I imagine that is just speculation. I reviewed “Brief History” after it came out and and found it enjoyable, although not particularly informative. Like a lot of popular science, the only people who understood it were those who already knew the subject. Oh, you pick up a few pedagogical pointers when a book is well-written, as “Brief History” was, but that is about all. I doubt anyone can much learn science from popular books. Only the science literate should read them. Thankfully, the science illiterate do not, because the romanticized view of science they inevitably present is nothing like the real thing. “The Universe in a Nutshell” is read in the pearshaped tones that only a British actor can provide. Hawking should use Simon Prebble as the voice in his synthesizer, in place of that simulated Swedish accent.
But then, the “wheelchair guy,” as Homer Simpson calls him, has a great sense of humor which comes out in his writing. And, once again that writing is excellent. Except for the first chapter, which is just boiler plate about Einstein probably written by a hack, I believe the rest of the book is largely Hawking’s creation, with only editorial help provided.
Still, it will be even much harder than “Brief History” for the uninitiated to follow, with discussions on space-time loops and m-branes that can only make your head spin if you haven’t heard these ideas before.
There are some interesting interludes where Hawking talks about the possibilities of time travel and the future prospects for humanity, neither very optimistic. So, the tapes, which take about four hours, are still worth listening to.
