Brief Answers to the Big Questions is a popular science book written by physicist Stephen Hawking, and published by Hodder & Stoughton (hardcover) and Bantam Books (paperback) on 16 October 2018. The book examines some of the universe's greatest mysteries, and promotes the view that science is very important in helping to solve problems on planet Earth.[1][4][5][6][7] The publisher describes the book as "a selection of [Hawking's] most profound, accessible, and timely reflections from his personal archive",[5][7] and is based on, according to a book reviewer, "half a million or so words" from his essays, lectures and keynote speeches.