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A book and Stephen Hawking's texts are part of Stephen Hawking's personal and academic possessions at Christies in London, on Friday, October 19, 2018. The online auction announced on Monday, October 22, 2018 by Christie & auctioneer feature Hawking's features include 22 articles, including his doctoral dissertation on the origins of the universe, with the sale scheduled for October 31 and November 8. (Frank Augstein / Associated Press)
LONDON – Stephen Hawking was a cosmic visionary, a figure of inspiration and a global celebrity.
Its unique status is reflected in an imminent auction of some of the physicist's property: it includes complex scientific articles, one of the world's most iconic armchairs and a script from The Simpsons.
The online auction announced Monday by auctioneer Christie's includes 22 Hawking articles, including his doctoral dissertation on the origins of the universe, some of his many awards and scientific articles such as "Spectrum of Wormholes" and "Fundamental breakdown of physics in gravitational collapse."
Thomas Venning, head of books and manuscripts at Christie's, said newspapers "trace the evolution of his thinking – this brilliant and electrifying intelligence."
"You can see each breakthrough as it has been produced and presented to the scientific community," Venning said.
Of course, Hawking's reputation is only partly based on his scientific status as a cosmologist who has black holes on the map.
Diagnosed with motor neuron disease at age 22 and having only a few years to live, he survived for decades before dying in March at age 76.
The auction includes one of five copies of the Cambridge University Ph.D. program, published in 1965 by Hawking. Thesis entitled "Properties of Expanding Universes", priced between 100,000 and 150,000 books (130,000 and 195,000 dollars).
Venning said that the thesis, signed by Hawking in a writing made fragile by his illness, was both a key document in the scientific evolution of the physicist and a glimpse into his personal history.
"He was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) as he was coming to Cambridge to begin his Ph.D. studies, said Venning. "He dropped out of school for a while because he was so discouraged.
The thesis "was the fruit of his reapplication to his scientific work," said Venning, and Hawking "kept him at his side until the end of his days."
The illness eventually left Hawking almost completely paralyzed. He communicated through a voice-activated computer and installed a series of high-tech wheelchairs. One is included in the sale, with an estimated price of $ 13,000 to $ 19,500 (10,000 to 15,000 pounds). Proceeds from this sale will go to two charitable organizations, the Stephen Hawking Foundation and the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
Venning said that the wheelchair had become a symbol not only of disability, but also of Hawking's "sense of humor". He had already run under Prince Charles' feet – and would have joked that he would like to do the same with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher – and appeared in a skit "Monty Python" describing physicist Brian Cox.
Venning said that Hawking "considered himself very much a scientist before being a popular communicator", but he accepted and even appreciated his celebrity status. He has appeared many times in the animated comedy show "The Simpsons" and has kept a figurine of himself in the show of his office.
The sale includes a script from one of Hawking's "Simpson" appearances, a copy of his bestseller "A Brief History of Time," signed with a thumbprint, and a custom jacket that has been worn in a documentary.
Hawking's daughter, Lucy, said the sale had given "admirers of her work the chance to get a souvenir of our father's extraordinary life in the form of a small selection of evocative and fascinating articles."
Hawking's children hope to preserve their scientific archives for the nation. Christie's is negotiating to hand it over to the UK authorities instead of the estate tax.
The articles – part of a scientific sale including articles by Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein – will be on display in London for several days starting October 30th. The auction is open to applications between October 31 and November 8.
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Follow Jill Lawless on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/JillLawless
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