HAWKING, Stephen (1942-2018). A Brief History of Time. London: Bantam Press, 1988.

HAWKING, Stephen (1942-2018). A Brief History of Time. London: Bantam Press, 1988.

Through adversity to the stars: the first edition of Hawking's bestselling science classic, with authorial thumbprint. Stephen Hawking's thumbprint is accompanied by an inscription from Jane Hawking: "Per ardua ad astra! For Tim / with very best wishes / Stephen and Jane Hawking." "Per ardua ad astra" – "through adversity to the stars" – is the motto of the Royal Air Force. In 1988, the recipient was an airline pilot and his sister, Donna, a doctoral student at Cambridge. Donna rented a flat from the Hawkings and would interview Stephen Hawking for a BBC Radio Science feature. She had the book inscribed as a birthday gift for her brother.

Octavo (235 x 150mm). Publisher's grey-blue boards, grey pictorial dust-jacket. Provenance: Tim Balin (gift inscription).