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.

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.

Bryson takes a look into the history of the earth, universe, the human race, and science in general. In over 450 pages, he manages to give you, well, a brief history of nearly everything involved with these subjects! It's a bunch of interesting facts stringed together with information about those who came up with the facts and what was involved to figure them out. Bryson covers everything from when Earth was created, what's at the centre of the earth, why do volcanoes/earthquakes happen, what are we all composed of, why did the dinosaurs go extinct, what is out there in our universe, how long people have been around, and much much more.

It truly is amazing how recent some of these discoveries are! I guess I take for granted how common knowledge these discoveries are and just assume that we've known about them for a long time. It's also interesting to get the context behind the many discoveries that have shaped our history and learn a little bit about the people who made these discoveries.

This book won't be for everyone. Some will find it too tedious and boring. But if you have a general interest in our history and how things have formed, then you'll enjoy this book. It's not the quickest read, but it is still quite interesting. I did find, however, the chapter on fossils a bit dull, but it moved on fairly quickly. It would be nice to get a compact view on our history in terms of human events to sit alongside this volume.

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!