In the 10 years since its publication in 1988 Stephen Hawkings book has become a landmark volume and scientific writing with more than 9 million copies sold worldwide . That addition was on the cutting edge of what was then known about the nature of the universe . But the last decade has seen extraordinary advances in the worlds, confirming many of Professor Hawkings theoretical predictions.  eager to bring to his original text the new knowledge revealed by these absurd observations. He has written, a new introduction, updated the original chapters throughout, and then added an entirely new chapter on the fascinating subject of wormholes and time travel.