A Brief History of Time — Stephen Hawking (1988)

Stephen Hawking's *A Brief History of Time*, published in 1988, demystified complex cosmology for a global audience, selling over 25 million copies and translated into 40 languages. The book, which explores topics like the Big Bang, black holes, and the search for a unified theory of physics, spent a record-breaking 264 weeks on the *Sunday Times* bestseller list in the UK, becoming the newspaper's top-ranked title in the past 50 years. Hawking's ability to explain cutting-edge theoretical physics without extensive mathematical equations made intricate scientific concepts accessible to general readers. While widely successful in popularizing science and establishing Hawking as a cultural icon, some readers found its later chapters challenging.