At a moment of great discovery, one Big Idea can change the world...Black holes have long been a topic of fascination, from pop culture to science fiction. Stephen Hawking's discoveries and research on black holes and cosmology have made him an academic celebrity and perhaps the best-known scientist of our time. His book, "A Brief History of Time", was a record-breaking, worldwide bestseller and his Big Ideas have changed the way we view the world and the universe, for ever. "Hawking & Black Holes" tells the incredible story of Hawking's early life in which he created his own complicated board games, to his being diagnosed with AML, and his subsequent brilliant research into black holes and the cosmos. "Hawking's Big Idea" is presented in an accessible and engrossing way, providing an explanation of the meaning and importance of his discoveries, and the way his work has changed and influenced our lives today. "The Big Idea" series is a fascinating look at the greatest advances in our scientific history, and at the men and women who made these fundamental breakthroughs.

Paul Strathern was born in London and studied philosophy at Trinity College, Dublin. He was a lecturer at Kingston University where he taught philosophy and mathematics. He is a Somerset Maugham prize-winning novelist of A Season in Abyssinia, as well as four other novels. He is also the author of the Philosophers in 90 Minutes series.He wrote Mendeleyev's Dream which was shortlisted for the Aventis Science Book Prize, Dr. Strangelove's Game: A History of Economic Genius, The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance, Napoleon in Egypt and most recently, The Artist, The Philosopher and The Warrior, which details the convergence of three of Renaissance Italy's most brilliant minds: Leonardo Da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli and Cesare Borgia. He lives in London and has three grandchildren.