Stephen Hawking's phenomenal, multimillion-copy bestseller, bA Brief History of Timeb, introduced the ideas of this brilliant theoretical physicist to readers all over the world. pNow, in a major publishing event, Hawking returns with a lavishly illustrated sequel that unravels the mysteries of the major breakthroughs that have occurred in the years since the release of his acclaimed first book. pbThe Universe in a Nutshell pb- Quantum mechanicsbr- M-theorybr- General relativitybr- 11-dimensional supergravitybr- 10-dimensional membranesbr- Superstringsbr- P-branesbr- Black holes pOne of the most influential thinkers of our time, Stephen Hawking is an intellectual icon, known not only for the adventurousness of his ideas but for the clarity and wit with which he expresses them. In this new book Hawking takes us to the cutting edge of theoretical physics, where truth is often stranger than fiction, to explain in laymen's terms the principles that control our universe. pLike many in the c