Hawking did not rule out the existence of a Creator, asking in A Brief History of Time "Is the

unified theory so compelling that it brings about its own existence?"[130] In his early work,
Hawking spoke of God in a metaphorical sense. In A Brief History of Time he wrote: "If we
discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reasonfor then we
should know the mind of God."[131] In the same book he suggested the existence of God was
unnecessary to explain the origin of the universe. Later discussions with Neil Turok led to the
realisation that it is also compatible with an open universe.[132]
Further work by Hawking in the area of arrows of time led to the 1985 publication of a paper
theorising that if the no-boundary proposition were correct, then when the universe stopped
expanding and eventually collapsed, time would run backwards.[133] A paper by Don Page
and independent calculations by Raymond Laflamme led Hawking to withdraw this
concept.[134] Honours continued to be awarded: in 1981 he was awarded the
American Franklin Medal,[135] and in 1982 made a Commander of the Order of the British
Empire (CBE).[136][137] Awards do not pay the bills, however, and motivated by the need to
finance the children's education and home expenses, in 1982 Hawking determined to write a
popular book about the universe that would be accessible to the general public.[138][139] Instead
of publishing with an academic press, he signed a contract with Bantam Books, a mass
market publisher, and received a large advance for his book.[140][141] A first draft of the book,
called A Brief History of Time, was completed in 1984.[142]
One of the first messages Hawking produced with his speech-generating device was a
request for his assistant to help him finish writing A Brief History of Time.[143] Peter Guzzardi,
his editor at Bantam, pushed him to explain his ideas clearly in non-technical language, a
process that required multiple revisions from an increasingly irritated Hawking.[144] The book
was published in April 1988 in the US and in June in the UK, and proved to be an
extraordinary success, rising quickly to the top of bestseller lists in both countries and
remaining there for months.[145][146][147] The book was translated into multiple languages,[148] and
ultimately sold an estimated 9 million copies.[147] Media attention was
intense,[148] and Newsweek magazine cover and a television special both described him as
"Master of the Universe".[149] Success led to significant financial rewards, but also the
challenges of celebrity status.[150] Hawking travelled extensively to promote his work, and
enjoyed partying and dancing into the small hours.[148] He had difficulty refusing the
invitations and visitors which left limited time for work and his students.[151] Some colleagues
were resentful of the attention Hawking received, feeling it was due to his disability.[152][153] He
received further academic recognition, including five further honorary degrees,[149] the Gold
Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1985),[154] the Paul Dirac Medal (1987)[149] and,
jointly with Penrose, the prestigious Wolf Prize (1988).[155] In 1989, he was appointed
Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH).[151]He reportedly declined a
knighthood.[156]