Middlemarch

Hawking selected Middlemarch as his book choice on the BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs episode.

The quote is taken word for word from the source.

BBC Radio 4 · 1992-12-25 · accessed 2026-06-22

Interview · Desert Island Discs book choice

The BBC episode page for Stephen Hawking's Desert Island Discs lists the book choice as Middlemarch by George Eliot; the page schema gives the 1992-12-25 date.

Collison's first-party 2024 X post names Middlemarch among four clear standouts, says he would enthusiastically reread them, and says he would probably choose Middlemarch if revisiting one.

This text documents what the source says, but it is not verified as a word-for-word quote.

Patrick Collison on X · 2024-12-27 · accessed 2026-07-10

Social post · First-party X post

Collison's first-party X post identifies Middlemarch as one of four clear standouts, says he would enthusiastically reread the standout novels, and says he would probably choose Middlemarch if revisiting one.