Books

First US edition, the suppressed first printing, of one of the most important scientific works of the 20th century. The first US edition was published simultaneously with the UK edition in April 1988. The error-riddled first printing of the former was recalled and destroyed, though a small number survived. It has gray-blue endpapers, lacks the contents page and the dedication statement on the copyright page, shows a number of figures incorrectly ordered or labelled, and has a silvery light-blue dust jacket, similar in colour to that of the UK first edition jacket. The second printing has white endpapers, the contents page and dedication present, corrections made to the figures, and a dark blue dust jacket. There are several textual differences and a different ISBN was assigned. Octavo. Original black quarter cloth, spine lettered in silver, black paper-covered sides. With dust jacket. Full-page and in-text illustrations and diagrams. Slight rubbing and sunning around extremities, near-fine in very good jacket, slight central crease at head of spine panel, minor pitting and scratch to rear panel, light rubbing at extremities and a little toned, unclipped. .

In 'A Brief History of Time', Stephen Hawking attempts to explain a range of subjects in cosmology, including the Big Bang, black holes, and light cones to the non-specialized reader. His goal is to provide an overview of the history, laws, and major theories of the cosmos in a way that is accessible to the general public, without complex mathematical jargon.