Author guide

Stephen Hawking Books in Order

Stephen William Hawking (1942–2018) was a theoretical physicist and cosmologist at the University of Cambridge. His research on singularities, black-hole thermodynamics, Hawking radiation, and quantum cosmology made major contributions to modern physics. He also wrote influential popular-science books, a memoir, essay collections, and children's science fiction with his daughter Lucy Hawking.

theoretical physicscosmologypopular sciencescience writingmemoirchildren's fiction

Catalog record updated August 25, 2026.

Stephen Hawking's Newest Book

You and the Universe

picture-book · First published 2024

Inspire kids to ask the big questions about Earth and the cosmos with this stunningly illustrated version of Professor Stephen Hawking's final message to humankind. We are all time travelers journeying together into the future. But let us work together to make that future a place we want to visit. Scientist and educator Stephen Hawking spent his life trying to unravel the mysteries of the universe. But, he still had many questions—and he wanted every reader, every child, to come together to help answer them: How can we save the planet? How can we learn to be there for one another? Adapted from Professor Hawking’s posthumous 2020 Earth Day message, You and the Universe is his first picture book and is a tribute to the littlest citizens of Earth, highlighting the power of coming together and creating a better tomorrow.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

A Brief History of Time

The best-known accessible introduction to Hawking's cosmological ideas and popular science writing.

George's Secret Key to the Universe

The entry point to Hawking's completed children's science-adventure series.

Read in order

Books by series

juvenile-fiction-series · completed

George's Secret Key to the Universe

A completed six-book children's science-adventure series created by Lucy Hawking and Stephen Hawking.

Series guide →

1
George's Secret Key to the Universe
Book 1 · juvenile-fiction · 2007

In their bestselling book for young readers, noted physicist Stephen Hawking and his daughter, Lucy, provide a grand and funny adventure that explains fascinating information about our universe, including Dr. Hawking's latest ideas about…
2
George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt
Book 2 · juvenile-fiction · 2009

George is heartbroken when his neighbor Annie and her space-scientist father move to Florida, but when Annie sends him a secret message telling him she has been contacted by aliens with a terrible warning, he joins her in a galaxy-wide…
3
George and the Big Bang
Book 3 · juvenile-fiction · 2011

George tries to escape a host of problems by going to Switzerland to help his friend Annie's father, Eric, run an experiment exploring the origins of the universe, but faces saboteurs and a mysterious message from George's old nemesis,…
4
George and the Unbreakable Code
Book 4 · juvenile-fiction · 2014

George and his best friend Annie haven’t had any space adventures for a while and they’re missing the excitement. But not for long, because seriously strange things have started happening. Banks are handing out free money, supermarkets…
5
George and the Blue Moon
Book 5 · juvenile-fiction · 2016

George and his best friend, Annie, have been selected as junior astronauts for a program that trains young people for a future trip to Mars. This is everything they've ever wanted and now they get to be a part of up-to-the minute space…
6
George and the Ship of Time
Book 6 · juvenile-fiction · 2018

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Sort works

Nonfiction (8)

A Brief History of Time
popular-science · 1988

Stephen Hawking's ‘A Brief History of Time* has become an international publishing phenomenon. Translated into thirty languages, it has sold over ten million copies worldwide and lives on as a science book that continues to captivate and…
The Universe in a Nutshell
popular-science · 2001

"One of the most influential thinkers of our time, Stephen Hawking is an intellectual icon, known not only for the adventurousness of his ideas but for the clarity and wit with which he expresses them. In this new book Hawking takes us to…
The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe
popular-science · 2002

Based on a series of lectures given at Cambridge University, Professor Hawking's work introduced "the history of ideas about the universe" as well as today's most important scientific theories about time, space, and the cosmos in a clear,…
A Briefer History of Time
popular-science · 2005

A shorter, more accessible edition of a now-classic survey of the origin and nature of the universe features new full-color illustrations and an expanded, easier to understand treatment of the volume's more important theoretical concepts.
The Grand Design
popular-science · 2010

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A whirlwind tour of fundamental physics and cosmology.”—The Wall Street Journal “Fascinating . . . a wealth of ideas [that] leave us with a clearer understanding of modern physics in all its invigorating…
My Brief History
memoir · 2013

NATIONAL BESTSELLER Stephen Hawking has dazzled readers worldwide with a string of bestsellers exploring the mysteries of the universe. Now, for the first time, perhaps the most brilliant cosmologist of our age turns his gaze inward for a…
Brief Answers to the Big Questions
popular-science · 2018

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The world-famous cosmologist and author of A Brief History of Time leaves us with his final thoughts on the biggest questions facing humankind. “Hawking’s parting gift to humanity . . . a book every thinking…
Unlocking the Universe
popular-science · 2020

UNLOCKING THE UNIVERSE Have you ever wondered how our universe began? Or what it takes to put humans on the moon? Do you know what happens in the microscopic world of a life-saving vaccine? What would you do if you could travel through…

Essays and speeches (5)

Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays
essay-collection · 1993

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Thirteen extraordinary essays shed new light on the mystery of the universe—and on one of the most brilliant thinkers of our time. “[Hawking] sprinkles his explanations with a wry sense of humor and a keen…
The Nature of Space and Time
lecture-debate · 1996
The Large, the Small and the Human Mind
essay-collection · 1997
The Future of Spacetime
essay-collection · 2002

"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 it blurs the line between science and science fiction. Here are six essays by those who walk that line,…
Black Holes: The Reith Lectures
lecture-collection · 2016

"It is said that fact is sometimes stranger than fiction, and nowhere is that more true than in the case of black holes. Black holes are stranger than anything dreamed up by science fiction writers." In 2016 Professor Stephen Hawking…

Children's books (1)

You and the Universe
picture-book · 2024

Inspire kids to ask the big questions about Earth and the cosmos with this stunningly illustrated version of Professor Stephen Hawking's final message to humankind. We are all time travelers journeying together into the future. But let us…

Edited works (4)

Euclidean Quantum Gravity
edited-collection · 1993
On the Shoulders of Giants: The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy
edited-collection · 2002

World-renowned physicist and bestselling author Stephen Hawking presents a revolutionary look at the momentous discoveries that changed our perception of the world with this first-ever compilation of seven classic works on physics and…
God Created the Integers: The Mathematical Breakthroughs That Changed History
edited-collection · 2007

Including 25 landmark discoveries spanning 2500 years and representing the work of 15 mathematicians such as Augustin Cauchy, Bernard Riemann and Alan Turing, the title allows the reader to peer into the mind of genius by providing…
The Dreams That Stuff Is Made Of: The Most Astounding Papers of Quantum Physics and How They Shook the Scientific World
edited-collection · 2011

The renowned physicist and New York Times –bestselling author introduces the nonscientific reader to the mind-bending world of quantum physics. "God does not play dice with the universe." So said Albert Einstein in response to the first…

Other (1)

The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time
academic-monograph · 1973

This 1973 book discusses Einstein's General Theory of Relativity and its predictions concerning black holes and singularities in space-time itself.

Frequently asked questions about Stephen Hawking

Who was Stephen Hawking?

Stephen Hawking was an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist who spent most of his academic career at the University of Cambridge. He was born in Oxford in 1942 and died in Cambridge in 2018.

Source: cam.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)

What was Stephen Hawking famous for in physics?

Hawking made major contributions to general relativity, cosmology, and black-hole physics. His prediction that black holes can emit radiation became known as Hawking radiation.

Sources: royalsociety.org (opens in a new tab)cam.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)

Who influenced Stephen Hawking's scientific work?

At Cambridge, Hawking was supervised by Dennis Sciama and was strongly influenced by Roger Penrose's mathematical work on general relativity and singularities. He also collaborated with scientists including George Ellis and Jim Hartle.

Sources: archivesearch.lib.cam.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)cam.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)

What awards and honors did Stephen Hawking receive?

His honors included the Royal Society's Copley Medal, the Wolf Prize in Physics, the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, and appointment as a Companion of Honour in the United Kingdom.

Sources: royalsociety.org (opens in a new tab)wolffund.org.il (opens in a new tab)obamawhitehouse.archives.gov (opens in a new tab)royal.uk (opens in a new tab)

Why is Stephen Hawking remembered today?

Hawking is remembered both for reshaping scientific understanding of black holes and the early universe and for making cosmology accessible to a global audience. His long career while living with motor neurone disease also made him an enduring symbol of scientific achievement and disability advocacy.

Sources: cam.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)archivesearch.lib.cam.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)