Professor Hawking, perhaps the preeminent theoretical physicist of our time, is an incredibly gifted communicator. That he can make a layman understand part of his arcane field, and that he bothers with it in the first place, is unusual. That he is able to impart this knowledge in an offhand and sometimes humorous manner is astonishing. While reading Black Holes and Baby Universes, I had the strong impression that Professor Hawking has read Douglas Adams and Stanislaw Lem, or vice versa.
This collection of thirteen essays and one BBC interview is remarkable for the ease with which such rarefied subjects as cosmology, quantum mechanics, and relativity are discussed and explained. Still, be prepared to scratch your head few times, as the subject matter really is physics.
Black Holes and Baby Universes, by Stephen Hawking, US$21.95. Bantam: (800) 223 5780, +1 (212) 354 6500.
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