In an updated edition with a new chapter, just in time for Stephen Hawking's 75th birthday, Kitty Ferguson looks at one of the most remarkable figures of our age--bestselling author of A Brief History of Time, celebrated theoretical physicist, and an inspiration to millions around the world -- with fresh insights into the way he thinks and works, his ever-more-imaginative adventures in science at the "flaming ramparts of the world," the discovery of gravity waves, the blockbuster proposal for "Starshot" to explore the cosmos, and his increasingly powerful use of his celebrity on behalf of human rights and survival on earth and beyond.

With rare access to Hawking, including childhood photos and in-depth research, award-winning author Kitty Ferguson continues to create a rich and comprehensive picture of Hawking's life: his childhood; the heartbreaking ALS diagnosis when he was a first-year graduate student; his long personal battle for survival in pursuit of a scientific understanding of the universe; and his rise to international fame.

Ferguson uses her gift for translating the language of theoretical physics into the language of the rest of us to make Hawking's scientific work accessible.

This is an insightful, absorbing, and definitive account of a brilliant mind and the extraordinary life of a man who at seventy-five is as up-to-date as tomorrow.