One of the most important physicists of all time, Stephen Hawking isn't only a brilliant scientist--he's an inspiration. Hawking was diagnosed with a muscular disease as a young adult, making movement and later speech very difficult. However, he still was able to make discoveries about space and time that no one could have imagined. In this detailed biography, readers learn about Hawking's life, including his childhood, schooling, and writing of A Brief History of Time. Full-color images and sidebars help readers understand Hawking's research as well as the inner workings of a legendary scientist.