The Illustrated A Brief History of Time. Updated and Expanded Edition

New York: Bantam Books, 1996. First Edition. Fine/Fine. First edition, first printing of the illustrated edition of A Brief History of Time. Association copy signed by Stephen Hawking with his thumbprint and inscribed to Gordon Moore in secretarial hand: "Thank you for the computer that puts me on the internet. Now I really am Intel inside." [viii], 248 pp., profusely illustrated in color throughout. Bound in publisher's black leatherette boards, gilt lettering to spine. Fine with very light wear to extremities. In a Fine unclipped dust jacket with light shelfwear, and Caltech Bookstore label to rear panel. Stephen Hawking met Intel cofounder Gordon (truncated) Moore at a conference in 1997. When Moore offered to upgrade Hawking's computer with Intel technology, Hawking accepted, and his custom computers were supplied by the company until his death in 2018. Hawking is quoted using the phrase "I'm Intel inside" in a 1997 Intel press release, which begins: CAMBRIDGE, England – March 20, 1997 – In a meeting at Cambridge University with Intel Chairman Gordon Moore, renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking today demonstrated publicly for the first time his new wireless access to the Internet. This book was likely given to Moore as a token of gratitude at or after that meeting and marks the beginning of an important relationship. (Inventory #: 140947407)