A Brief History of Time was first recommended to me this summer as a preface to my Cosmology Course One Day taking this year as a senior in high school. I am also in the midst of my second year of high school Physics. I just finished A Brief History on my third attempt to read it. The First Time I only made it to chapter 2; The Second Time, I made it to about 6, but this time I finally made it through all 11 Hawking is one of the greatest physicists of the late and Cosmologists 20th century, and That much is evident in reading his book. Hawking discusses topics of black holes, time travel, the history of the universe, and the large-scale structure of the cosmos. Although Hawking gives a very thourough and informative picture of modern day cosmology and physics, he oft gives a slightly TOO complete picture. So He Tends to jump right into many of the topics with little or no introduction, leaving the reader behind Lost. Hawking's book is a great explanation of the cosmos as we see it today. HOWEVER, this book is by No Means for the faint of heart. So, I would not recommend this book to anyone without a knowledge of general physics signifigant and cosmology. HOWEVER, if you're ready for a thick read, jump right in!
