The Sequel to A Brief History of Time

Stephen Hawking’s phenomenal, multimillion-copy bestseller, A Brief History of Time, introduced the ideas of this brilliant theoretical physicist to readers all over the world. Now, in a major publishing event, Hawking returns with a lavishly illustrated sequel that unravels the mysteries of the major breakthroughs that have occurred in the years since the release of his acclaimed first book.

One of the most influential thinkers of our time, Stephen Hawking is an intellectual icon, known not only for the adventurousness of his ideas but for the clarity and wit with which he expresses them. In this new book, Hawking takes us to the cutting edge of theoretical physics, where truth is often stranger than fiction, to explain in layman’s terms the principles that control our universe.

Like many in the community of theoretical physicists, Professor Hawking is seeking to uncover the grail of science—the elusive Theory of Everything that lies at the heart of the cosmos. In his accessible and often playful style, he guides us on his search to uncover the secrets of the universe. With characteristic exuberance, Professor Hawking invites us to be fellow travelers on this extraordinary voyage through space-time.

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A Cosmic Antidote to Division

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER — Bringing his cosmic perspective to civilization on Earth, Neil deGrasse Tyson shines new light on the crucial fault lines of our time—war, politics, religion, truth, beauty, gender, and race—in a way that stimulates a deeper sense of unity for us all.

In a time when our political and cultural views feel more polarized than ever, Tyson provides a much-needed antidote to so much of what divides us, while making a passionate case for the twin chariots of enlightenment—a cosmic perspective and the rationality of science. After thinking deeply about how science sees the world and about Earth as a planet, the human brain has the capacity to reset and recalibrate life’s priorities, shaping the actions we might take in response.

With crystalline prose, Starry Messenger walks us through the scientific palette that sees and paints the world differently. From insights on resolving global conflict to reminders of how precious it is to be alive, Tyson reveals, with warmth and eloquence, an array of brilliant and beautiful truths that apply to us all, informed and enlightened by knowledge of our place in the universe.

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From Coltrane to the Cosmic Horizon

A spectacular musical and scientific journey from the Bronx to the cosmic horizon that reveals the astonishing links between jazz, science, Einstein, and Coltrane. More than fifty years ago, John Coltrane drew the twelve musical notes in a circle and connected them by straight lines, forming a five-pointed star. Inspired by Einstein, Coltrane put physics and geometry at the core of his music.

Physicist and jazz musician Stephon Alexander follows suit, using jazz to answer physics’ most vexing questions about the past and future of the universe. Following the great minds that first drew the links between music and physics—a list including Pythagoras, Kepler, Newton, Einstein, and Rakim—The Jazz of Physics reveals that the ancient poetic idea of the “Music of the Spheres,” taken seriously, clarifies confounding issues in physics. This book will fascinate and inspire anyone interested in the mysteries of our universe, music, and life itself.

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The Strange Numbers That Explain the Universe

A fun, dazzling exploration of the strange numbers that illuminate the ultimate nature of reality. For brilliant theoretical physicists such as James Clerk Maxwell, Paul Dirac, and Albert Einstein, the search for mathematical truths led to strange new understandings of the ultimate nature of reality. But what are these truths? What are the mysterious numbers that explain the universe?

Leading theoretical physicist and YouTube star Antonio Padilla takes us on an irreverent cosmic tour of nine of the most extraordinary numbers in physics, offering a startling picture of how the universe works. They include Graham’s number (so large thinking about it wrong could collapse your head into a singularity), TREE(3) (whose finite nature can never be definitively proved), and 10^{-120} (measuring the desperately unlikely balance of energy needed to allow the universe to exist). Leading us down the rabbit hole to a deeper understanding of reality, Padilla explains how these unusual numbers are the keys to grasping mind-boggling phenomena like black holes, relativity, and the cosmological constant.

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Where Science Meets the Galaxy Far, Far Away

Star Wars takes place in a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but the science used by Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and the rest are rooted in the technology and physics we have here on Earth. What is possible and what is not?

The Science of Star Wars addresses 50 topics that span the movies’ universe such as battle technology, alien life, space travel, and more. You’ll find fascinating explorations of the physics of Star Wars, its plausibility, and whether we’re on the edge of developing the same technology. This uncomplicated, entertaining read makes it easy to understand how advanced physics concepts, such as wormholes and Einstein’s theory of relativity, apply to the Star Wars universe.

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The Universe in Bite-Sized Chapters

Over a year on the New York Times bestseller list and more than a million copies sold. The essential universe, from our most celebrated and beloved astrophysicist. What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There’s no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than Neil deGrasse Tyson.

But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day. While you wait for your morning coffee to brew, for the bus, the train, or a plane to arrive, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry will reveal just what you need to be fluent and ready for the next cosmic headlines: from the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe.

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A Landmark in Science Writing

A landmark volume in science writing by one of the great minds of our time, Stephen Hawking’s book explores such profound questions as: How did the universe begin—and what made its start possible? Does time always flow forward? Is the universe unending—or are there boundaries? Are there other dimensions in space? What will happen when it all ends?

Told in language we all can understand, A Brief History of Time plunges into the exotic realms of black holes and quarks, of antimatter and “arrows of time,” of the big bang and a bigger God—where the possibilities are wondrous and unexpected. With exciting images and profound imagination, Stephen Hawking brings us closer to the ultimate secrets at the very heart of creation. With over 9 million copies sold worldwide, this book has transformed our view of the universe.

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A Dazzling Visual Tour of Our Solar System

Discover places where a day is longer than a year, where hailstones are made of diamonds, and where a mountain looms twice the size of Everest. These and more are all to be found in The Planets. This stunning visual guide takes you on a journey through the Solar System using the latest data gathered by NASA and the European Space Agency.

The Sun’s gravity holds in thrall eight planets, each with an entourage of moons, as well as dwarf planets, asteroids, and comets. From the Solar System’s fiery heart, travel to rocky worlds such as tiny Mercury scorched by the Sun. Then witness Venus swathed in a sulfurous haze, and go to the outer reaches to visit planets such as gas giant Jupiter, which is 120 times the size of Earth. Using cutting-edge 3-D models and photography, this book describes each planet and the extraordinary endeavors of space exploration.

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Carl Sagan’s Timeless Masterpiece

Renowned astronomer Carl Sagan’s classic bestseller that “dives into the past, present, and future of science, dealing with the mind-staggering enormity of the cosmos in which we exist.” Winner of the Hugo Award and the inspiration for the Emmy-winning television series, Cosmos remains one of the bestselling science books ever published in the English language.

In clear-eyed prose, Sagan reveals a jewel-like blue world inhabited by a life form that is just beginning to discover its own identity and to venture into the vast ocean of space. Featuring full-color illustrations, Cosmos retraces the fourteen billion years of cosmic evolution that have transformed matter into consciousness, exploring the origin of life, the human brain, Egyptian hieroglyphics, spacecraft missions, the death of the Sun, and the evolution of galaxies.

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America’s Love Affair with Pluto

The New York Times best-selling author chronicles America’s love affair with Pluto, man’s best (celestial) friend. In August 2006, the International Astronomical Union voted Pluto out of planethood. Far from the sun, you’d wonder if Pluto has any fans. Yet during the mounting debate, the public rallied behind the extraterrestrial underdog in an unprecedented way.

Disney created an irresistible pup by the same name, and as one NASA scientist put it, Pluto was “discovered by an American for America.” Pluto is entrenched in our cultural, patriotic view of the cosmos, and Neil deGrasse Tyson is on a quest to discover why. Only Tyson can tell this story: he was involved in the first exhibits to demote Pluto, and consequently, Pluto lovers have freely shared their opinions with him, including endless hate mail from third graders.

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