The Theory of Everything

The Theory of Everything is a popular book disowned by Stephen Hawking although put together with material written by him. The title is in reference to the theory of everything, a physicists' jargon term for a theory in physics which unifies the four fundamental forces of nature: gravity, the strong nuclear force, the weak nuclear force, and the electromagnetic force.

Hawking's own website, on the page http://www.hawking.org.uk/info/iindex.html, makes this comment:

IMPORTANT NOTE It has come to our attention that the book "The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe" has been published. Professor Hawking would like to make it clear that he has not endorsed this book. The text was written by him many years ago, however the material has already been published in books such as 'A Brief History of Time'. A complaint was made to the Federal Trade Commission in the US in the hope that they would prevent the publication. MSNBC (http://www.msnbc.com/news/756320.asp?cp1=1) is still carrying the story. We would urge you not to purchase this book in the belief that Professor Hawking was involved in its creation