| A Briefer History of Time | |
|---|---|
Cover of A Briefer History of Time. |
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| Author(s) | Eric Schulman |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject(s) | History of the Universe |
| Genre(s) | Science humor, Popular science |
| Publisher | W. H. Freeman and Company |
| Publication date | May 1999 |
| Media type | Print (trade paperback) |
| Pages | 171 pp |
| ISBN | 0716733897 |
| LC Classification | QB982 .S38 1999 |
A Briefer History of Time is a science humor book by the American astronomer Eric Schulman. In this book, Schulman presents humorous summaries of what he claims are the fifty-three most important events since the beginning of time. [1] [2] [3] The title and cover are a parody of Stephen Hawking's book A Brief History of Time. Coincidentally, Hawking would later write a "sequel" entitled A Briefer History of Time. Hawking's publisher Bantam Books was aware the title had already been used in a popular science book, but went ahead since "The other book was published six years ago, and Professor Hawking is an international figure." [4] [5]
Laughing while learning is the intent of Schulman's book. The book shows why, even though the Universe is expanding, it doesn't get any easier to find a parking space. Furthermore, there is the pulp version of the origin of life ("It was a dark and stormy night. In the shallow tide pool, a nucleic acid base collided with a sugar molecule. An amino acid sank beneath the murky depths . . . ."). Some more of the fifty-three most important events are: