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A Short History of Nearly Everything

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A Short History of Nearly Everything

by Bill Bryson

Diversified Publishing | May 6, 2003 | Hardcover

One of the world's most beloved and bestselling writers takes his ultimate journey -- into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer.

In A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson trekked the Appalachian Trail -- well, most of it. In In A Sunburned Country, he confronted some of the most lethal wildlife Australia has to offer. Now, in his biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand -- and, if possible, answer -- the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. To that end, he has attached himself to a host of the world's most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians, travelling to their offices, laboratories, and field camps. He has read (or tried to read) their books, pestered them with questions, apprenticed himself to their powerful minds. A Short History of Nearly Everything is the record of this quest, and it is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it. Science has never been more involving or entertaining.
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Reviews

    • Was this review
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    Rating: 5/5

    Loved it!

    Melissa M

    7 days ago

    This book is fascinating. So well written. This book is everything that intrigues us about science without the dry-as-dust teachers droning on about it and making us abhor its very existence.

    For my full review, check out my blog: http://tubchairtimes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/short-history-of-nearly-everything-bill.html

    • Was this review
      helpful to you?

    Rating: 5/5

    Couldn't put it down

    Robert Trout

    2 years ago

    I couldn't put it down! This is the first non-fiction book I can say that about. I wish some of my college professors presented information as well as Bill Bryson. I will definitely be reading more of his books.

    • Was this review
      helpful to you?

    Rating: 4/5

    A history of scientific discoveries and their discoverers

    Jeff Mooallem

    3 years ago

    This is a very ambitious book by Bryson. He undertakes to explain, well, all major branches of science, and peppers their stories with his whimsy and occasional humour. The history in the title is natural history, not of civilization. His writing is very reachable and clear, and his style doesn't have empty generalizations.

    He actually makes high school science subjects extremely interesting, I think, even for non-science minds, and he does this by poignant comments and putting a human face to the discoveries. And I think that last point is the key to this book's success. While it is a history of the discovery of sciences in our natural world, it is just as much a history of the people and their stories that made those discoveries and developed those theories.

    I learned a great deal, not only in the specifics of the branches but also in how they connect, which is something you may not get from a show about biology or geology, since he also takes a horizontal view. I also found it entertaining because of his writing style and personal stories.

    • Was this review
      helpful to you?
    Dustin

    Rating: 5/5

    A lifesaver for the non-geeks

    Dustin

    9 years ago

    For those of you interested in learning the complexities about how the universe and life as we know it came it exist, but are not prepared to accept self-induced strokes trying to read boring, mathematical accounts -- THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU! As an average consumer, knowing and caring little about science, this larger sized book was at first a turnoff. On a closer examination of the inside cover and reading various reviews, I decided to give it a try. The sporatic humourous relief Bryson sprinkles over the entire book is married to to the plain english approach to all topics covered. Highly recommend to all!

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From the Publisher

One of the world's most beloved and bestselling writers takes his ultimate journey -- into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer.

In A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson trekked the Appalachian Trail -- well, most of it. In In A Sunburned Country, he confronted some of the most lethal wildlife Australia has to offer. Now, in his biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand -- and, if possible, answer -- the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. To that end, he has attached himself to a host of the world's most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians, travelling to their offices, laboratories, and field camps. He has read (or tried to read) their books, pestered them with questions, apprenticed himself to their powerful minds. A Short History of Nearly Everything is the record of this quest, and it is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it. Science has never been more involving or entertaining.

From the Jacket

One of the world''s most beloved and bestselling writers takes his ultimate journey -- into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer.
In A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson trekked the Appalachian Trail -- well, most of it. In In A Sunburned Country, he confronted some of the most lethal wildlife Australia has to offer. Now, in his biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand -- and, if possible, answer -- the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. To that end, he has attached himself to a host of the world''s most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians, travelling to their offices, laboratories, and field camps. He has read (or tried to read) their books, pestered them with questions, apprenticed himself to their powerful minds. A Short History of Nearly Everything" is the record of this quest, and it is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it. Science has never been more involving or entertaining.

About the Author

Bill Bryson's bestselling books include A Walk in the Woods, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, In A Sunburned Country, Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words, Bill Bryson''s African Diary, and A Short History of Nearly Everything. He lives in Norfolk, England, with his wife and children.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Hardcover

May 6, 2003

Diversified Publishing

English


0375432000
9780375432002

From the Critics

"Stylish [and] stunningly accurate prose. We learn what the material world is like from the smallest quark to the largest galaxy and at all the levels in between . . . brims with strange and amazing facts . . . destined to become a modern classic of science writing."
-The New York Times

"Bryson has made a career writing hilarious travelogues, and in many ways his latest is more of the same, except that this time Bryson hikes through the world of science."
-People

"Bryson is surprisingly precise, brilliantly eccentric and nicely eloquent . . . a gifted storyteller has dared to retell the world's biggest story."
-Seattle Times

"Hefty, highly researched and eminently readable."
-Simon Winchester, The Globe and Mail

"All non-scientists (and probably many specialized scientists, too) can learn a great deal from his lucid and amiable explanations."
-National Post

"Bryson is a terrific stylist. You can't help but enjoy his writing, for its cheer and buoyancy, and for the frequent demonstration of his peculiar, engaging turn of mind."
-Ottawa Citizen

"Wonderfully readable. It is, in the best sense, learned."
-Winnipeg Free Press


From the Trade Paperback edition.

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