Includes bibliographical references (p. [287]-295) and index.

1942-1975. "The quest for a theory of everything" ; "Our goal is nothing less than a complete description of the universe we live in" ; "Equal to anything" ; "The realization that I had an incurable disease, that was likely to kill me in a few years, was a bit of a shock" ; "The big question was, was there a beginning or not?" ; "There is a singularity in our past" -- 1970-1990. "These people must think we are used to an astronomical standard of living" ; "Scientists usually assume there is a unique link between the past and the future, cause and effect. If information is lost, this link does not exist" ; "The odds against a universe that has produced life like ours are immense" ; "In all my travels, I have not managed to fall off the edge of the world" ; "It's turtles all the way down" ; "The field of baby universes is in its infancy" -- 1990-2000. "Is the end in sight for theoretical physics?" ; Between film roles, I enjoy solving physics problems" ; "I think we have a good chance of avoiding both Armageddon and a new Dark Age" ; "It seems clear to me" -- 2000-2011. "An expanding horizon of possibilities ; "Grandad has wheels" ; "I've always gone in a somewhat different direction" ; "My name is Stephen Hawking : physicist, cosmologist and something of a dreamer."

"Stephen Hawking has been an iconic figure in physics for the last half a century, making many groundbreaking discoveries on the nature of the universe. Yet while his mind roams to the farthest corners of reality, his body has become increasingly trapped by the advance of Lou Gehrig's disease, which has bound him to a wheelchair, without speech or movement except for a few facial muscles. Told in his youth that he would not live past his 20s, Hawking will turn 70 in 2012, and today he continues to inspire millions, drawing rock-concert-sized crowds wherever he lectures. Science writer Kitty Ferguson has been working with Stephen Hawking for decades, and produced an internationally bestselling biography of his life in 1992. Now, she brings his life as well as his scientific discoveries up-to-date. This is a remarkable look at how one of the greatest scientific mind alive overcame the odds to become the truly inspirational figure he is today"--