The Grand Design

By: Stephen Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow

Narrated by: Steve West

Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

#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.

©2010 Steven Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow (P)2010 Random House Audio

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)

Great book thanks

I enjoyed this book. I admit most of the time I was lost but what small amount I did understand I found quite fascinating. Stephen Hawking always makes me feel like my mind exploded. I will be purchasing some of the other Stephen Hawking books.

Great read

Well written, well dictated and broken down into digestible content that's easy to comprehend.

inspiring

Would you listen to The Grand Design again? Why?

Yes, I'm sure I missed some things and as I was listening I could visualize and feel awe in our universe. Listening connects me to the universe and makes want to know more. Great book and easy to understand!

Have you listened to any of Steve West’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Good intro to the TOE/ M-theory

All around great intro to the topic. I listened to pretty much all of it in the car, so many times i would find myself rewinding to better understand certain critical topics. My 1st audible purchase...gotta say I'm pretty pleased.

The book kind of ends abruptly IMO...I think more could have been said, but for what it's worth I think that it was really well structured and I learned quite a lot of new things :D. Steve West also does a brilliant job on the reading.

wonderful information

simply enjoyed the subject,learned very much
I would recommend this book for a student of physics.

really need to pay attention

great book. little dry but my low IQ might be the problem. very interesting

You really need the pictures for this one

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Fascinating to learn about some of the experiments devised in quantum mechanics.

Was The Grand Design worth the listening time?

Yes and no. It's such a short book, you can't really resent the time you spend listening to it, but it's the type of book that you really need pictures to grasp the content. I will purchase books like this in print in future.

Inspiring

I have listened to this book several times and every time it amazes me and makes me laugh.

This great book needs to be read, not heard

Some people may find it hard to comprehend this book by ear. I am one of them.

Grand Design Grand Listen

I found “The Grand Design” to be a stimulating easy to listen to audio book. Including the glossary was good, however, it would have been more helpful at the start for anyone needing it. Mr. West’s narration added to the enjoyment of the listen. Caveat, if you are not a fan of physics or technical pros, you might not enjoy this listen as much as I did. I highly recommend this title to Stephen Hawking fans.