Recommendations based on A Brief History of Timeby Stephen Hawking

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

    by Jared Diamond
    Tracing the origins of human civilizations through the lens of geography, technology, and biology.

    "Diamond has written a book of remarkable scope ... one of the most important and readable works on the human past published in recent years." Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a national bestseller: ... (Goodreads)

  2. The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

    by Brian Greene
    Exploring the hidden realms of physics, in pursuit of a unified theory of nature.

    Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of eleven dimensions, where the fabric of ... (Goodreads)

  3. The Art of War

    by Sun Tzu
    Ancient Chinese military treatise outlining strategies for success in battle.

    Twenty-Five Hundred years ago, Sun Tzu wrote this classic book of military strategy based on Chinese warfare and military thought. Since that time, all levels of military have used the teaching on ... (Goodreads)

  4. Cosmos

    by Carl Sagan
    Voyage through the vastness of space, unlocking the mysteries of the universe.

    Cosmos has 13 heavily illustrated chapters, corresponding to the 13 episodes of the Cosmos television series. In the book, Sagan explores 15 billion years of cosmic evolution and the development of ... (Goodreads)

  5. A Short History of Nearly Everything

    by Bill Bryson
    A captivating overview of the natural sciences, spanning the history of the universe.

    In Bryson's biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand—and, if possible, answer—the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory ... (Goodreads)

  6. Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays

    by Stephen Hawking
    A collection of essays exploring the mysteries of the universe and its implications for humanity.

    NY Times bestseller. 13 extraordinary essays shed new light on the mysteries of the universe & on one of the most brilliant thinkers of our time. In his phenomenal bestseller A Brief History of Time ... (Goodreads)

  7. The God Delusion

    by Richard Dawkins
    Scientific exploration of the evidence for and against religious belief.

    A preeminent scientist - and the world's most prominent atheist - asserts the irrationality of belief in God, and the grievous harm religion has inflicted on society, from the Crusades to 9/11. With ... (Goodreads)

  8. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

    by Ashlee Vance
    A revealing look into the life and accomplishments of tech innovator Elon Musk.

    Elon Musk, the entrepreneur and innovator behind SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity, sold one of his internet companies, PayPal, for $1.5 billion. Ashlee Vance captures the full spectacle and arc of the ... (Goodreads)

  9. A People's History of the United States

    by Howard Zinn
    An examination of American history from a perspective of marginalized people.

    In the book, Zinn presented a different side of history from the more traditional "fundamental nationalist glorification of country". Zinn portrays a side of American history that can largely be seen ... (Goodreads)

  10. The Grand Design

    by Stephen Hawking
    Exploring the origins of the universe and the laws of nature that govern its operation.

    THE FIRST MAJOR WORK IN NEARLY A DECADE BY ONE OF THE WORLD’S GREAT THINKERS—A MARVELOUSLY CONCISE BOOK WITH NEW ANSWERS TO THE ULTIMATE QUESTIONS OF LIFE When and how did the universe begin? Why are ... (Goodreads)

  11. The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

    by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
    A study of the role of randomness in life, and how it can lead to unexpected events.

    A black swan is a highly improbable event with three principal characteristics: It is unpredictable; it carries a massive impact; and, after the fact, we concoct an explanation that makes it appear ... (Goodreads)

  12. Thinking, Fast and Slow

    by Daniel Kahneman
    An exploration of the two systems of the mind, and how they influence decision-making.

    In the highly anticipated Thinking, Fast and Slow , Kahneman takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and ... (Goodreads)

  13. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space

    by Carl Sagan
    Reflection on humanity's place in the universe, and its responsibility to protect life on Earth.

    Pulitzer Prize-winning author Carl Sagan traces our exploration of space and suggests that our very survival may depend on the wise use of other worlds. This stirring book reveals how scientific ... (Goodreads)

  14. Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow

    by Yuval Noah Harari
    An exploration of humanity's future, and the potential paths of our species.

    Yuval Noah Harari, author of the critically-acclaimed, New York Times, bestseller and international phenomenon, Sapiens, returns with an equally original, compelling, and provocative book, turning ... (Goodreads)

  15. The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe

    by Stephen Hawking
    Examining the laws of the universe and the search for a unifying theory.

    Stephen Hawking is widely believed to be one of the world’s greatest minds, a brilliant theoretical physicist whose work helped reconfigure models of the universe and define what’s in it. Imagine ... (Barnes & Noble)

  16. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution

    by Richard Dawkins
    An exploration of the evidence and science of evolution, highlighting its importance in understanding the history of life on Earth.

    Charles Darwin’s masterpiece, On the Origin of Species , shook society to its core on publication in 1859. Darwin was only too aware of the storm his theory of evolution would provoke but he would ... (Goodreads)

  17. The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality

    by Brian Greene
    An exploration of space and time in the physical world, looking at the fundamental laws of the universe.

    From Brian Greene, one of the world’s leading physicists and author the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Elegant Universe , comes a grand tour of the universe that makes us look at reality in a completely ... (Goodreads)

  18. God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything

    by Christopher Hitchens
    Criticism of organized religion, arguing it is the root of much suffering in the world.

    With his unique brand of erudition and wit, Hitchens describes the ways in which religion is man-made. "God did not make us," he says. "We made God." He explains the ways in which religion is ... (Goodreads)

  19. Meditations

    by Marcus Aurelius
    Reflections on Stoic philosophy, exploring the nature of existence and how to live life.

    Written in Greek by the only Roman emperor who was also a philosopher, without any intention of publication, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius offer a remarkable series of challenging spiritual ... (Goodreads)

  20. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

    by Neil deGrasse Tyson
    An accessible exploration of the universe and its mysteries.

    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 ... (Barnes & Noble)

  21. Chaos: Making a New Science

    by James Gleick
    Investigation of complex systems and the impact of chaos on scientific understanding.

    A work of popular science in the tradition of Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan, this 20th-anniversary edition of James Gleick’s groundbreaking bestseller Chaos introduces a whole new readership to ... (Goodreads)

  22. Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

    by Douglas R. Hofstadter
    A complex exploration of logic, mathematics and art, exploring their relationships and interconnections.

    Douglas Hofstadter's book is concerned directly with the nature of “maps” or links between formal systems. However, according to Hofstadter, the formal system that underlies all mental activity ... (Goodreads)

  23. The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True

    by Richard Dawkins
    Exploring the science behind phenomena of the natural world, from the big bang to evolution.

    Magic takes many forms. Supernatural magic is what our ancestors used in order to explain the world before they developed the scientific method. The ancient Egyptians explained the night by ... (Goodreads)

  24. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly

    by Anthony Bourdain
    A humorous and unflinching account of life in restaurant kitchens, exploring the culture and camaraderie of the culinary world.

    A deliciously funny, delectably shocking banquet of wild-but-true tales of life in the culinary trade from Chef Anthony Bourdain, laying out his more than a quarter-century of drugs, sex, and haute ... (Goodreads)

  25. Tao Te Ching

    by Lao Tzu
    A collection of wise sayings and reflections on the nature of existence.

    A lucid translation of the well-known Taoist classic by a leading scholar-now in a Shambhala Pocket Library edition. Written more than two thousand years ago, the Tao Teh Ching , or -The Classic of ... (Goodreads)

  26. Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus

    by John Gray
    A look at the different ways men and women communicate and interact.

    Once upon a time Martians and Venusians met, fell in love, and had happy relationships together because they respected and accepted their differences. Then they came to Earth and amnesia set in: they ... (Goodreads)

  27. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

    by Sogyal Rinpoche
    Guide to attaining inner peace in life and death, drawing from Buddhist wisdom.

    “A magnificent achievement. In its power to touch the heart, to awaken consciousness, [ The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying ] is an inestimable gift.” — San Francisco Chronicle A newly revised and ... (Goodreads)

  28. The Communist Manifesto

    by Karl Marx
    A treatise on the fundamental principles of communism, and its role in society.

    A rousing call to arms whose influence is still felt today Originally published on the eve of the 1848 European revolutions, The Communist Manifesto is a condensed and incisive account of the ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Guns of August

    by Barbara W. Tuchman
    A riveting account of the events leading up to World War I and its devastating consequences.

    Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time The Proud Tower, the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Guns of August, and The Zimmerman Telegram comprise Barbara W. ... (Goodreads)