The Grand Design

When and how did the universe begin? Why are we here?

Is the apparent 'grand design' of our universe evidence for a benevolent creator who set things in motion? Or does science offer another explanation?

In The Grand Design, the most recent scientific thinking about the mysteries of the universe is presented in language marked by both brilliance and simplicity. Model dependent realism, the multiverse, the top-down theory of cosmology, and the unified M-theory - all are revealed here.

This is the first major work in nearly a decade by one of the world's greatest thinkers. A succinct, startling and lavishly illustrated guide to discoveries that are altering our understanding and threatening some of our most cherished belief systems, is a book that will inform - and provoke - like no other.

One of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Einstein, Professor Stephen Hawking was the former Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. His bestselling publications included: A Brief History of Time, The Grand Design, A Briefer History of Time as well as a series of books for children, co-authored with his daughter Lucy Hawking, beginning with George's Secret Key to the Universe.

• Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
• ISBN: 9780553819229
• Number of pages: 256
• Weight: 333g
• Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 13 mm