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Known for his acclaimed research on black holes, the
wheelchair-bound Hawking, who suffered from motor neurone
disease and used an electronic voice synthesizer, died in March
at the age of 76.
"On the Shoulders of Giants", which also features documents
penned by Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein, will
feature 22 lots from Hawking's estate, including one of five
known copies of his PhD thesis, "Properties of expanding
universes", estimated at 100,000-150,000 pounds ($127,480 -
$191,220).
"Stephen Hawking was a huge personality worldwide. He had this
amazing ability to connect with people," Thomas Venning, head of
the Books and Manuscripts department at auction house Christie's
London, told Reuters.
"The whole idea...was to provide something that was accessible
to his admirers so that people could connect with him and
remember his extraordinary story."
Also up for sale are a copy of Hawking's best-selling book "A
Brief History of Time" signed with his thumb print, estimated
between 2,000 and 3,000 pounds, as well as awards and medals
given to the scientist, priced at 10,000-15,000 pounds.
Other documents, an invitation for a reception for "Time
Travellers" as well as a motorized wheelchair Hawking used, are
also being sold in the Oct. 31 - Nov. 8 online auction.
It has already attracted interest from Asia, the Middle East,
the United States and Australia, according to Venning.
"(Hawking) traveled across the world and he has fans in the
U.S., he has fans in Asia," he said.
(Reporting by Hanna Rantala; Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian;
Editing by Mark Heinrich)
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