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)

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.

surprisingly easy to follow

this was surprisingly easy to follow and very thought provoking. I will listen to it several more times.

Too complex

Do you think The Grand Design needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

The problem with this book is it is too complex. The target audience I feel is a master's in physics. At least to fully appreciate the book. I've had many physics courses in college so this did help to brush up some physics knowledge but honestly I could not fully apppreciate the book because it was too complex. It would serve well to have a precursor book to condition the reader before jumping into this content.

good

Very good but also a bit confusing at times. I'll be listening to it again to get more from it

Very Grand!

I like the way Stephen describes mathematics and physics in a layman's level. Very nice!

Modern physics for the non-physicist

I have been interested in modern physics Md since I first read Einstein. The field has grown enormously and this tome is an excellent survey of a complex and changing field of science.

Superb

The book gives a lot to think about, how we all conduct our everyday life. The book also is
showing us how everything is evolving and changing in the universe. In doing so theories are also changing to the new information. As to in our own lives. What I got out of it was God is what one believes it to be.

Fascinating but flat

This was very fascinating but unfortunately the narration was too flat and made it harder to comprehend. I had to keep referring to the printed book to look at the illustrations and re read the more complex passages.

Amazing, like all book from Stephen Hawking

I like this subject a lot, and for me Stephen Hawking is the best writer for general public (me). In this work he helps us understand the cutting edge ideas of science and physics.

Whoa!

This is a great listen if you like to let your mind wander into possiblities. Soem I caught right away and others I am still trying to grasp. I really appricated the historical review, educational and entertaining.