Important Book on Science Reprinted 30 Times in Vietnam

A Brief History of Time, a rare and best-selling scientific popularization work, has been reprinted 30 times by Nha Xuat Ban Tre (Youth Publishing House) – Photo: T. DIEU

This book inaugurates the Science and Discovery collection published by Nha Xuat Ban Tre (Youth Publishing House) since 2008, which now has 53 scientific titles.

A Brief History of Time – the best-selling scientific popularization book

Speaking to Tuoi Tre Online on the sidelines of an exchange session with readers, the editorial team and translators of the collection “Science and Discovery,” on April 11 in Hanoi, translator Pham Van Thieu recounted that during the translation of this scientific work, although the author tried to present the great stories of space science in the most understandable way for the general public, he nevertheless feared that the book might not appeal to everyone.

He shared this with his English friend, who reassured him: “My mother knew nothing about physics, but *A Brief History of Time* was her bedside book.”

Upon hearing his friend’s words, Mr. Thieu felt somewhat reassured. However, he did not expect the book to become so quickly popular, a reference work for students in natural and social sciences. Even today, nearly twenty years later, tens of thousands of copies have been published.

Reading scientific books requires patience.

Following the success of this book, Mr. Thieu and translator Cao Chi considered creating a collection of scientific books with Youth Publishing House. The “Science and Discovery” collection now has over 50 titles, including a series dedicated to astronomer Trinh Xuan Thuan.

Mr. Thieu was also specifically requested by physicist Trinh Xuan Thuan to translate the entire book into Vietnamese.

Regarding this, Mr. Thieu indicated that after completing the translation of Trinh Xuan Thuan’s first book, “Mysterious Melodies,” the author had offered it to his mother. She praised the translation, which had preserved the literary quality of the original.

Since then, Trinh Xuan Thuan has tasked Mr. Thieu with translating his book into Vietnamese.

During this meeting, readers of all generations shared their admiration for the Science and Discovery collection in general, and for the works translated by Pham Van Thieu in particular.

When reading scientific works, translator Pham Van Thieu advises patience, a gradual step-by-step reading, and multiple re-readings; the more you read, the more interesting the text becomes.

“Even experts have difficulty reading these books, so do not expect to understand them immediately. It’s like reading Buddhist scriptures: no one understands the Buddha’s words at first, but we persevere, and one day we grasp them,” said Mr. Thieu.

In this era of abundant information, scientists Vu Cong Lap and Nguyen Van Lien also shared their views on the role and importance of reading scientific works.

According to Tre Publishing House, for over 20 years, the Science and Discovery collection has always followed the principle of making science more accessible to the general public, offering books covering a wide range of subjects: biology, chemistry, physics, cosmology, technology, mathematics, etc.

In addition to *A Brief History of Time*, which has been reprinted 30 times, other works have won the National Book Award.

Source: Read more