Publisher Description
Where the science of black holes, gravitational waves, and time travel will likely lead us, as reported by spacetime's most important theoreticians and observers.
Our minds tell us that some things in the universe must be true. The New Physics tells us that they are not, and in the process, blurs the line between science and science fiction. Here are six accessible essays by those who walk that line, moving ever further out in discovering the patterns of nature, aimed at readers who share their fascination with the deepest mysteries of the universe.
• Richard Price: "An Introduction to Spacetime Physics"
• Stephen Hawking: "Chronology Protection"
• Igor Novikov: "Can We Change the Past?"
• Kip S. Thorne: "Speculations about the Future"
• Timothy Ferris: "On the Popularization of Science"
• Alan Lightman: "The Physicist as Novelist"
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“Caltech physicist Kip Thorne’s sixtieth birthday was celebrated in essay form by fellow relativists interested not only in space-time but also in explaining it to nonscientists. Collected in this volume, these pieces feature Thorne’s predictions about imminent discoveries of space-time gravity waves, Stephen Hawking’s sporting arguments against certain of Thorne’s ideas about black holes and wormholes, and two views by popular writers (Timothy Ferris and Alan Lightman) on making such subjects accessible…Exuding a lighthearted tone, these pieces will appeal especially to those who enjoyed Thorne’s Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein’s Outrageous Legacy.”
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Booklist
About the Authors
Richard Price is the author
of six previous novels, including the national bestsellers Freedomland and Clockers,
which was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 1999 he
received a Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His
fiction, articles, and essays have appeared in Best American Essays 2002, New
York Times, New York Times Book
Review, New Yorker, Esquire, Village Voice, and Rolling
Stone. He has also written numerous screenplays, including Sea of Love, Ransom, and The Color of
Money. He lives in New York City with his wife and daughters.
Stephen Hawking (1942–2018) was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author. His ability to make science understandable and compelling was established with his first book, A Brief History of Time, which has sold nearly ten million copies worldwide. Hugely influential in his field, he authored or participated in the creation of countless other popular science books, including The Universe in a Nutshell, A Briefer History of Time, On the Shoulders of Giants, and George’s Secret Key to the Universe. He had served as director of research at the Institute for Theoretical Cosmology at Cambridge.
Kip Thorne is the Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at California Institute of Technology, an executive producer for the Academy Award–winning film Interstellar, and the author of the bestselling Black Holes and Time Warps and other books. He was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2016 by Time.com.
About Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Davis has been inducted into the Audible Narrator Hall of Fame. A three-time recipient and fourteen-time nominee of the Audie Award, he has earned accolades for his narration from the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, the American Library Association, Booklist, the Audio Publishers Association, AudioFile magazine, and USA Today. He has narrated a variety of bestsellers and award-winners for top publishing houses. He also narrated over forty titles of the Star Wars franchise for Lucasfilm Ltd./PRH Audio, including several iconic movie tie-ins, has participated with Star Wars Celebration, and has built a significant fan base. His work as a narrator includes films and programming for National Geographic Television, NOVA, PBS, VH1, and Francis Ford Coppola. He grew up in Puerto Rico and speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and Hebrew.