A Short History of Nearly Everything
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| A Short History of Nearly Everything | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 Hardcover edition. |
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From primordial nothingness to this very moment, A Short History of Nearly Everything reports what happened and how humans figured it out. To accomplish this daunting literary task, Bill Bryson uses hundreds of sources, from popular science books to interviews with luminaries in various fields. His aim is to help people like him, who rejected stale school textbooks and dry explanations, to appreciate how we have used science to understand the smallest particles and the unimaginably vast expanses of space. With his distinctive prose style and wit, Bryson succeeds admirably. Though A Short History clocks in at a daunting 500-plus pages and covers the same material as every science book before it, it reads something like a particularly detailed novel (albeit without a plot). Each longish chapter is devoted to a topic like the age of our planet or how cells work, and these chapters are grouped into larger sections such as "The Size of the Earth" and "Life Itself." Bryson chats with experts like Richard Fortey (author of Life and Trilobite) and these interviews are charming. But it's when Bryson dives into some of science's best and most embarrassing fights--Cope vs. Marsh, Conway Morris vs. Gould--that he finds literary gold. --Therese Littleton
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Bill Bryson is one of the world's most beloved and bestselling writers. In A Short History of Nearly Everything, he takes his ultimate journey—into the most intriguing and consequential questions that science seeks to answer. It's a dazzling quest, the intellectual odyssey of a lifetime, as this insatiably curious writer attempts to understand everything that has transpired from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization. Or, as the author puts it, "...how we went from there being nothing at all to there being something, and then how a little of that something turned into us, and also what happened in between and since." This is, in short, a tall order. To that end, Bill Bryson apprenticed himself to a host of the world's most profound scientific minds, living and dead. His challenge is to take subjects like geology, chemistry, paleontology, astronomy, and particle physics and see if there isn't some way to render them comprehensible to people, like himself, made bored (or scared) stiff of science by school. His interest is not simply to discover what we know but to find out how we know it. How do we know what is in the center of the earth, thousands of miles beneath the surface? How can we know the extent and the composition of the universe, or what a black hole is? How can we know where the continents were 600 million years ago? How did anyone ever figure these things out? On his travels through space and time, Bill Bryson encounters a splendid gallery of the most fascinating, eccentric, competitive, and foolish personalities ever to ask a hard question. In their company, he undertakes a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only this superb writer can render it. Science has never been more involving, and the world we inhabit has never been fuller of wonder and delight. “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.” “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.” “Bryson is surprisingly precise, brilliantly eccentric and nicely eloquent... a gifted storyteller has dared to retell the world’s biggest story.” “Hefty, highly researched and eminently readable.” “All non-scientists (and probably many specialized scientists, too) can learn a great deal from his lucid and amiable explanations.” "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.” “Wonderfully readable. It is, in the best sense, learned.” |
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| 11-19-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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I purchased "A Short History of Nearly Everything" because of the glowing report of two friends who had read the book. This is a delightfully put together account of "nearly everything". If you are looking to know more about lots of things, this is your book.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-11-30 04:14:22 EST)
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| 10-29-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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Fabulous, well written book that covers a wide variety of little known or understood topics. Bryson meanders through some of the most interesting parts of our history with his special gifts of quirky insights and stylish prose. This is the book that will have you saying "Wow, I didn't know that. That's really interesting!"
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-11-23 03:02:58 EST)
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| 10-24-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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The most amazing thing about this book is that it manages to live up to its title! Bryson covers a whopping amount of material in just under 600 pages - discussing everything from the expanse of the universe to the confines of a single cell. And he does a more than admirable job. Scientific technicalities are presented in a highly readable manner through the smart use of analogies. His chapter on the solar system, for example, left me with an infinitely more vivid picture of the make-up of our planetary neighbourhood than a dozen other science textbooks would have. Full credit to Bryson as well for writing with a boldness and authority that belies the author's background as a non-scientist.
Many reviews have labelled the book as "a rough guide to science". The book offers so much more. It is really a biography of the universe - a an elegant blend of scientific fact, history and lovely anecdotes that makes everything come to life. Nearly everything at least. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-10-29 11:07:03 EST)
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| 10-15-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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This might very well be the 2000 version of Future Shock. If you care it is not hard to follow.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-10-25 03:05:48 EST)
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| 10-07-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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This book is quite different from Bryson's usual fare. Here Bryson steps out of his usual travel and language focus to write about science. The product is an interesting combination of the social history of science, biographies of famous scientists, and discussion of significant scientific discoveries in very accessible language. What science does Bryson cover, you might ask? This is where "everything" comes in to the picture. Bryson has chosen a wide range of scientific discoveries, from working out the theory of evolution to discovering the size and shape of the earth. Mostly, Bryson focuses on the largest and smallest things in the universe. He looks at galaxies and volcanoes, but also DNA and atoms. Truly, this book is expansive. For the lay reader, it becomes clear that there's a tremendous amount of knowledge tied up in this book, and it's amazing just how much Bryson had to learn to write it. For the non-scientist, this book manages to create a sense of awe, wonder, and fear, all at the same time. Bryson does an excellent job of highlighting just how surprising and contingent the fact of our existence is, and how complicated it was to get here. He creates amazement as the reader is forced to consider almost unfathomable dimensions, both gargantuan and tiny. Contingency is clearly the most significant theme that emerges from the work. Bryson also paints an interesting portrait of the practice of science, scientific culture, and a sense of just how difficult and tenuous some conclusions are. While it's amazing just how much scientists have discovered, it's even more daunting to consider how much remains inconclusive. Overall, this is an extremely accessible discussion of some difficult topics, infused with Bryson's humor and style. It's a long read, but well worth the effort.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-10-15 03:22:34 EST)
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| 09-30-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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Great book with broad coverage of history and science. not a quick read. You need to have your brain awake and engaged while reading.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-10-09 03:56:23 EST)
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| 09-23-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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Bill Bryson narrates a brief yet epic journey of everything from the nothingness of which the universe sprang, to the development of technologies that only a handful of people on our planet understand in one of his best-selling books, A Short History of Nearly Everything. From the top of the world's tallest mountains to the bottom of the deepest petrie dish, Bryson tells the tale of nearly every event that has shaped the universe and the people that unlocked those mysteries. By rejecting the standard stale textbook format, Bryson has assembled a collection of stories that weave together to tell the tale of how we, and everything else, came to be. This book is an easy and interesting read for those who have ever questioned the intricacies of our world, wanted answers, but was unwilling to sift through college textbooks for them.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-10-09 03:56:23 EST)
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| 09-18-08 | 3 | (NA) |
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This is a good overview of the fundamentals of science. It meanders through astronomy, chemistry, physics, biology, geology, and paleontology and is very well written. Through Bryson's style, you can tell that he enjoys the subject matter. The "History" part of the title refers to both history in the sense of the universe, but also the history of the bright individuals and their insights that have allowed us to know that history.
What makes this book distinct is that Bryson was not too long ago in the reader's position (i.e. learning the basics of the sciences) and thereby rarely omits something pertinent to understanding, and his enthusiasm is still fresh and obvious; both of which are a welcomed change from classical science writing. Unfortunately, his lack of expertise leads to the occasional oversimplification, exaggeration, and falsehood- but understandably (and forgiveably) so. In the regrettable trade off between expertise and comprehensibility, this settles on the "comprehensible" side of the spectrum. If that's what you're looking for, you'll find it here. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-10-09 03:56:23 EST)
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| 09-16-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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It's a tough call trying to squeeze earth's history into approximately 450 pages, but Bill Bryson has done it. With his trademark gentle humour and a focus on making even the most complex subjects (such as the nature dark matter and our evolution from chimp to Homo sapien) easy to grasp, Bryson has created a thoroughly readable and more importantly, enjoyable, book.
I am no science whiz, and I will freely admit that there were certain topics that confused me or just didn't hold my attention (for example, I'm not particularly interested in the nature of clouds). Yet despite this, there was so much that I learnt from this book. This really is a fascinating read, so if you're interested in learning a little more about this amazing planet we call home, `A Short History of Nearly Everything' will keep you captivated for hours. Zara Stevens Boy Meets Girl: A Pocketful of Wedding Stories (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-10-09 03:56:23 EST)
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| 09-15-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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One of the most stimulating, informative and funny book I have ever read. Since I can't remember everything, I am rereading it and enjoying it just as much as the first time.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-10-09 03:56:23 EST)
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| 09-15-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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This book is highly recommendable, probably one of the best science books for lay people I have read and definitely the most funny one. It is an account of a lot of topics, from the big-bang, the truly big numbers of the universe, life on earth (microorganisms that live in extreme conditions for example at very hot temperatures), the great extinctions, the meassuring of key distances of the earth, global warming, particle physics, genetics, fossils, volcanoes, Yellowstone, electromagnetism, darwinism, geology, etc. It is really about nearly everything, written in an entertaining and comprehensible way. The book is full of scientific anecdotes, amazing facts, funny comments and much more.
The only drawback I found in this book is that, although the author made several references to other books in each field of study, he made them in such a way that he discouraged me from reading further about these topics (I don't know why, normally I finish a book and I already want to read something the author suggested). Fortunately I had already read The Seven Daughters of Eve, otherwise I wouldn't have done it, since the author's critic was not very encouraging. After reading the part on particle physics, I decided that this was nothing for me, since although this chapter was interesting, I did not feel like reading more about dozens of particles with strange names. I am glad I also started reading other books about it. So although the book is an excellent introduction to a lot of topics, I didn't feel like diving deeper into anyone. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-10-09 03:56:23 EST)
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| 09-07-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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I'm not yet done with the book, but I love the style of the writing. Bryson keeps the wonder and humor of the physical sciences which is sorely lacking in academic textbooks. I originally checked it out of the library, but I had to buy my own copy so that I could mark all of the places that would be great to use for interesting and provoking selections for my eighth grade English classroom. If you teach chemistry, physics, or reading to middle school or high school students,I strongly recommend this book for the short episodes which are easy to pull out for quick supplemental reading. My eighth graders loved the passage where the German scientist tried to turn human urine into gold and accidentally discovered phosphorous--priceless!
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-16 03:41:46 EST)
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| 09-06-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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An instant, microwave version of the history of science covering various disciplines and told in the distinctive, witty voice of Bill Bryson. Wish school text books were this fun !
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-16 03:41:46 EST)
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| 09-05-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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Whether or not you're interested in science, I believe you'll love this book. Each chapter covers another aspect of science in utterly accessible language. Breathtaking chapters on the cosmos, the atom, caldera, and much, much more. It was easily the best book I've read on the subject -- ever.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-09 03:20:58 EST)
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| 09-04-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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Instantly one of my favorite books. My daughter taught English at Columbia and introduced me to this author. Who else could make geology and anthropology interesting and fun. No one I know. A great read that leaves you smarter.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-09 03:20:58 EST)
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| 09-01-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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wonderful book, both educational and entertaining. It's one you can read over and over. There is so much information that it is really not possible to remember it all but it is delightful to read.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-05 03:26:18 EST)
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| 08-27-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'm not normally a "deep" reader, so I really appreciated Mr. Bryson's effort to make these subjects more accessible. In fact, after reading this, I was inspired to take another look at some of the more challenging titles in this genre. Therein is the real value of this book, from my perspective. He opens a door to us who tend to be a bit intimidated by the scholarly tomes about such topics as the life-cycle of a proton. Maybe we just need a little encouragement to dig a bit deeper. Those who focus on pointing out factual mistakes are missing the point.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-05 03:26:18 EST)
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| 08-17-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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Bryson does a great job of compiling a huge amount of information into a mere 475 pages. It is well organized, easy to read, and surprisingly enjoyable considering the complexity of certain topics. While some subjects, like geology, microbiology and atomic structure were a bit tedious, I really enjoyed reading about astronomy and especially anthropology (my favorite class in college). This comprehensive book embarks upon the history of the world we live in, from the nothingness of a pre-Big Bang universe, to the atoms that compose everything, to the primordial soup that yielded life, and to our most ancient hominid ancestors. What makes this book work is not that Bryson presents the history of nearly everything, but how these everythings were discovered. He investigates the history of exploration and narrates how scientists discovered answers to some of the most fundamental questions pertaining to who we are and how we came to be (especially during the 18th and 19th centuries). Bryson's goal was to fulfill his readers in ways that textbooks never did and he did that in an entertaining and often humorous way. For someone like me who often cringes at the mention of certain science topics (physics, chemistry), Bryson's delivery felt comfortable and was not intimidating. Best of all, Bryson left me with awe and wonder at the sequence of events that led our planet to enable our existence.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-28 03:26:59 EST)
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| 08-14-08 | 3 | (NA) |
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The book covers the history of several scientific areas and tries to tell a coherent story covering the most important discoveries. Most chapters give interesting information, but sometimes the historic trivia outnumber the scientific facts and figures. Chapters 4-5-6 are long winded and almost caused me to stop reading (they definitely need rewriting!). The second half of the book (biology, anthropology) has sounder foundations and is better argumented. It is certainly an interesting work for later reference and it gives an interesting and very extensive bibliography. Some of the conclusions are biased or lack correct arguments (especially where physics is involved, it often comes down to popular talking rahter than correctly argumented science, so in the end you learn nothing new). All in all a book worth reading and owning but a little disappointing, considering the enormous expectations formed by some reviews.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-19 01:00:00 EST)
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| 08-11-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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I love science from a historical perspective. The people who do the science and the cultures that surround them make for exciting and inspiring stories. The book starts out well, but gets bogged down in the last chapters in a depressing rant against the human animal, and it is sometimes filled with pages of details that seem to lead nowhere. A really good science editor is needed to make this book what it should be.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-17 01:02:11 EST)
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| 08-03-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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Great Book. Read it for the 3rd time this week. The Audio Book is also very good.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-17 01:02:11 EST)
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| 08-01-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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Like I mentioned, this book is very interesting and informative. If you like to history and science this book is for you. I rated it a 4 because is not an easy read and so many facts after facts will sometimes out you to sleep. But if you are interested in the complete history of science and discovery then run out and get a copy NOW.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-17 01:02:11 EST)
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| 07-25-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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I just wish that Bill had been my science teacher in Junior High. I was turned off by the boring old dude in suspenders and a pocket protector. He had bad breath and kept looking at the wall clock, clearly bored with himself as well. I love Bill's hilarious writing in his other books, "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid" and "A Walk in the Woods.' This was quite a departure from his other books, but once you love an author, you take what you can get.
Thank you Bill, I now know from whence I came! Dodie Cross, author of A Broad Abroad in Thailand (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-02 04:12:52 EST)
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| 07-23-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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One of the most useful books I have read. In one, easily readable, volume Bryson explains everything from the big bang to nano technology and dozens of the great discoveries in between. Then to identify who developed an idea or product and who actually got credit is most instructive on making sure your own discovery gets timely review and credit. Perhaps some of the analogies to explain subjects are a bit fanciful but they actually add some lightness and fun to some very, heavy subjects.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-01 02:14:46 EST)
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| 07-16-08 | 4 | 2\2 |
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Frustrating book full of interesting insights into the edges of scientific inquiry where every mystery screams "omniscient design"; the book never mentions God.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-01 02:14:46 EST)
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| 07-08-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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In this book, Bill Bryson brought organization and purpose to my own disjointed thoughts on religion and spirituality. This may sound odd for a book on science, but his "average man view" of science (and side trips about the often imperfect people who generated much of our modern knowledge base) strikes a cord with those of us who are not scientists. I have recommended the book to several people who have been delighted and fascinated as I. Stephen Hawkings I don't not understand, but Bill Bryson - when he writes about the same subject matter - I do. For example, from Bryson I learn the Evolutionists and Creationists are basically in disagreement over the first 10 seconds of existence. I also had an "Ah-Ha" moment in reading about evolutionary dead-ends about the possible explanation for homosexuality (it's evolutionary! - I'm not gay but I have family & friends I love who are). Not only do you get understanding on subjects most us us have not read about since we were in the classroom, but you get Bryson's dry wit thrown in - a real bonus. This book is destined to be a classic (I'm currently on my second reading). I highly recommend this book as a basic volume in anyone's library who is a modern thinker.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-07-16 15:25:47 EST)
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| 07-08-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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If you liked science in middle school and high school, you'll enjoy learning both the humorous and the more scientific back stories of those science classes of old. If you didn't like science in high school, you are bound to enjoy the humorous anecdotes and the zeal and energy with which Bryson conveys boat loads of information
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-07-16 15:25:47 EST)
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| 07-07-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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No, actually I don't. In fact, you couldn't have coerced me into any science classes in college without brute force. But I was inexplicably drawn to this book by Bryson's witty writing and ability to help me comprehend the once thought-to-be 'impossible to understand' topics that are covered in depth is phenomenal. I was chuckling throughout this entire book. Science is fun with Bill Bryson and this book is simply amazing!! Who would have thought that chemistry could be such a page turner and that people like Rev. William Buckhead and Clair Patterson could be such interesting individuals?
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-07-16 15:25:47 EST)
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| 07-01-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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It seems kindof cheesy at first, and Bryson's writing style can be a little precious. (Although always easy to read, and I certainly never felt bogged down in this book; in fact, I finished the whole thing in a weekend.) But I read it toward the beginning of a long kick to learn about stuff, and as I've gotten more in depth in several fields, I find myself remembering things I read in this book. He's given me a firmer foundation in...well, nearly everything...than I realized.
Many of you people know a lot of things, and for you this may be unnecessary. But some of you may be like me: high school chemistry is a distant memory, and you're not sure if you've ever even had a history course, and suddenly you sortof wish you knew all those things school was supposed to teach you. If that describes you, this book is a remarkably good place to start. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-07-08 03:21:38 EST)
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| 06-28-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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This is not a book to be devoured, or scanned lightly, though Mr. Bryson's fluid prose and wit would allow us to do so. This is a work to be pulled from the shelf more frequently than not and re-examined like a long Del Prado wall. It possesses the richness of a Qalicheh carpet or a Benares silk--an item to be held with awe. What an amazing compilation and composition.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-30 00:57:10 EST)
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| 06-27-08 | 3 | (NA) |
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The book was an entertaining read. It briefly touches on just about every subject. The only real thing that isn't that great is that it will go through several historical figures very quickly leaving you with a lot of information to digest. Later, the author often returns to talk about that figure, but after you've already forgotten about him. Not a big deal though.
Also, I thought the book would be more focused around history but it is actually more focused around the history of science. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-30 00:57:10 EST)
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| 06-22-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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I dont know much about Sci. but just had a good time reading this book/
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-27 01:49:59 EST)
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| 06-15-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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Bryson's book A Short History of Nearly Everything is an great read for people who are interested in Science. It describes in easy to understand terms what the current thinking is in the various sciences including Biology, Geology, Astronomy, Physics, and Chemistry. It reads differently from your science text book in a number of ways. It covers the history of how we got to what we currently think and does so in a "warts and all" approach. It tells you which scientists were brilliant, which were loons and which were just jerks. Of course sometimes this describes the same person, say Sir Isaac Newton. It also describes some of the reaction in science to a new theory, and seldom is that pretty. It also is not afraid to say that many of the "facts" that we learned in school are either now wrong or speculation, sometimes based on a surprisingly small amount of data.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-23 00:56:06 EST)
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| 05-31-08 | 5 | 1\1 |
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Bill Bryson's best work. If you aren't taken by the Introduction, you won't like the rest of the book... but if the Introduction speaks to you -- buckle up! I've turned down about half of the pages because of some funny, interesting, amazing tidbit I want to remember. Who knew that science could be so interesting and so entertaining! Bryson's dry humor is just right to bring what could be dense, complex information to vivid life. I will admit -- the knowledge I gained from this book caused a complete spiritual upheaval with me -- it really puts things (i.e., us) in perspective. This is my new FAVORITE BOOK, and I've given away many copies. A winner!!!
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-16 03:15:55 EST)
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| 05-25-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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This book explains concepts such as black holes and every invention ever done in the most eloquent and simple way, making you feel smarter than you actually are.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-01 03:12:36 EST)
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| 05-21-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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This book won't teach you quantum mechanics or astrophysics, thank God. Anyone who pans it for that, or for containing spot inaccuracies, is a nit-picking killjoy.
Instead, it reveals the whole "but how did they figure that out?" behind those subjects, while making you laugh out loud. I cannot recall a more enjoyable read on ANY topic, and I recommend it strongly for anyone who enjoys science writing and likes to laugh. If you have somehow managed to navigate to this page, put the book in your cart right now--even if only for later--because it will enrich your life far more than saving the money would. You'll love it---and that's the whole point. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-05-26 03:13:42 EST)
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| 05-13-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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This is a great book and it teaches you just about everything about everything. Highly recommended.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-05-22 03:12:37 EST)
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| 05-08-08 | 3 | (NA) |
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This is a funny collection of history and science as we know it through Bill Bryson's eyes. It's full of ramblings that are rather comical at times and sleepy at others but a nice read altogether as the author visits history, historical people, the progression of knowledge and our understanding of it today. The book is literally about a small piece of history of every aspect of the universe as we know it. Well put together and not a simple quick reading.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-05-18 01:58:22 EST)
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| 05-02-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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Excellent book. Good explanations of things they cover in school when you are not interested because of the mathmatics.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-05-18 01:58:22 EST)
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| 04-23-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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This is only my second review on Amazon (woo-hoo), so I thought I'd make it special and review a book which had me hooked for days on end. Bryson's A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING really is just that, from the likelihood of future meteorites pummeling Earth to smithereens to the possibility of volcanoes like the one in Yellowstone exploding and covering the US in ash. The research Bryson clearly did for this book boggles my mind, especially since his topics are so incredibly varied.
I would recommend this book to adults given its dense subject matters in many places, or very mature young adults with high reading levels. What I liked most about his book were the interviews he did with scientists, and the amount of history he managed to cram in yet make interesting. Highly recommended. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-05-03 00:24:25 EST)
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| 04-20-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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A great read for any non-scientist who is interested in anything from the big bang to molecular structure and everything in between - written in an easy to read and someimes a little tongue-in-cheek style
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-04-24 03:13:27 EST)
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| 04-18-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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Bill Brysons history of the earth, the universe, us, and indeed almost everything, is a very good and quite interesting to read. He is obviously a good writer and he know what he does when it comes to describing characters and anecdotes, mixing fact with wit and style. This makes the book very accesible to the non-scientist/everyday bloke who may be interested in science (at times) but not enough to muster up the will and stamina to sit through a proper textbook on geophysics and then biology and chemistry and so on. All couch scientists who enjoy impressing friends at barbeques with a bit of pub quiz knowledge, will definitely like this book.
However, there is a problem. Or a couple. Although the book gives a decent introduction to many interesting subjects, and indeed covers quite a lot of ground, it does seem to be a bit lax with it's treatment of scientific facts, which is not a good feature. Bryson is known for his, at times, dubious conclusions and I'm afraid there are a couple of examples of that in this book. Obviously there is a lack of detail at times, but that is certainly because the subject of the book is quite vast. I doesn't provide as many answers as it does questions, and that, in my opinion, is a good thing. This way, you'll be inspired to pick up another book on the particular subjects of interest to you, and do some swotting of your own, thus revealing any inaccuracies or liberties taken by Mr. Bryson. As long as you don't treat it as the shining, everlasting truth, well then this should be a funny, interesting, and informative read. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-04-21 03:08:46 EST)
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| 04-18-08 | 4 | 6\6 |
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A Short History of Nearly Everything is a superb book written by Bill Bryson. Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa during the year 1951. He moved to England in 1973, returned to the United States in 1995, and moved once again back to England in 2003. He currently lives in England near Wymondham, Norfolk, along with his wife, Cynthia, and his four children. Bill Bryson is more renowned for the travel books he has written, such as The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America and I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away.
The most significant strength of this book is how well it explains complex scientific principles and theories. Bryson provides an adequate easy-to-understand summary for subjects such as the Big Bang, quantum physics, and Einstein's Theory of Relativity. Bryson also intertwines humor with the facts to create a book that is fun to read. The weakest point of this book is that some of the knowledge that Bryson presents as facts are not true. The estimated distance to the star Betelgeuse is 427 light years, while Bryson suggested it as being 50,000 light years away. Bryson claimed that each human has up to 1 billion of Shakespeare's atoms in us, when that number is actually closer to 200 billion. The author's intention in writing this book was to satisfy his curiosity and share his findings with the rest of the world. As a child, he learned facts such as how much the Earth weighed and how big it was, but he did not learn who came up with these facts. Bryson wanted to learn who discovered the answer to these mysteries and what method they used to figure out their results. He wanted to know how people figured out the dimensions of the earth and how people came up with plate tectonics. Bryson fully accomplished and exceeded his goal. He not only presents interesting facts, but he provides who found out the information and how they found it, all the while throwing in humorous comments to keep the reader interested. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-04-21 03:08:46 EST)
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| 04-14-08 | 5 | 0\1 |
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I'm currently reading A Short History of Nearly Everything for the third time, and once again, I am enjoying it immensely. While I was never a big fan of science in school, Bryson makes it interesting, even fascinating, to learn about the driest of material. He digs for the true story behind each discovery, including interesting facts and theories about each one, and character details and eccentricities about each of the scientists he mentions. And he does this in layman's terms, so I can learn about the history of the universe without a dictionary to translate the scientific mumbo jumbo...Bryson does that for me.
Do I actually remember everything I read? No. (hence reading it for the third time) But every time I do read it, I am struck again how much I enjoy Bryson's witty prose and unmistakable voice, just as I have enjoyed his many other books. For actual scientists, this may not be the book for you, but if you're just interested in learning more about why we're on this planet from a purely curious standpoint, I highly recommend this book. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-04-18 03:12:34 EST)
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| 04-06-08 | 5 | 0\1 |
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Mr. Bryson's extremely well-researched composition of, well, a brief history of nearly everything is an achievement of towering proportions. As a scientist and bibliophile of no small extent myself, I can assure anyone that this work is well-worth the investment and time required to enjoy it. Indeed, left to my own devices, I would make this book a standard requirement for the award of any type of college degree in the United States (or anywhere else, for that matter).
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-04-15 03:15:36 EST)
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| 04-04-08 | 3 | 0\1 |
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Bryson writes well and attempts to make everything understandable and interesting to laypeople. I personally found the little biographical tidbits about various scientists entertaining, but some people may prefer a "less human interest" (dare i say "less gossipy") approach.
However, I agree with one of the other reviewers that Bryson should have gotten more feedback from scientists (either through cowriting or editing). One of the coolest things I read in the book was about how glass "flows" and really old cathedral glass windows are thicker at the bottom because of that. However, someone pointed out to me that scientists have actually debunked this myth (prior to the publication of the book). More rigorous fact-checking would have caught this mistake, and I read the rest of the book somewhat skeptically, partly also because I would have liked more precise references. One thing that also irked me was the inconsistency of units - Bryson would use kilometers in one sentence, and then miles in another. Overall, the book was an interesting read and I especially learned a lot about how people uncovered the geological history of the Earth, but more precise writing would have been welcome. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-04-07 03:28:31 EST)
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| 03-27-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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The book delivers what the title promises. It is a witty, thought provoking and informative book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-04-05 19:30:53 EST)
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| 03-26-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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If you're wanting to learn as much condense scientific information as you can in the smallest scrunched up pieces possible, this is almost as good as it gets. From everything to the very start - the big bang, to how life could have started - to the latest scientific information of the release date of the book. It's a few years old, so it's slightly out of date (information such as Pluto not being a planet, but even back then, as the book mentions, people didn't think it should be a planet), but it hardly hurts. Even with some information being old, it's still excellent. There's no other book you can truly compare this to if you're looking for a briefing on the entire history of science through all of mankind's existence.
There is only one thing in the book that did truly bother me. It makes no mention of Tesla, not a single one, even when going on to subjects that revolve around things he himself invented, or at least contributed to. I'm sure there's many other things the book doesn't go over - it's supposed to be brief, after all, but I think it's fairly obvious you should mention him when you talk about the exact things he created. AC electricity, radio, a special type of X-ray and many more. Other than that, I have no problem and highly recommend this to everyone. READ THIS BOOK. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-04-05 19:30:53 EST)
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| 03-07-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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I read some other reviews about how Bryson makes some faulty claims and is not much of an authority on the subject. I can't say wheather this is true or not but I must say that he sounds convicing enough. Throughout the book, he admits his own inadequacies as a scientist and mathamatician What he has a gift for is turning technical data and history into a very readable narrative. This book is clearly not textbook type material. It is designed for the layman to better grasp some of the concepts of life, our universe, and history. If you read this book and find discrepancies with some of the data, then you are clearly not the target demographic. If you do want to learn more about this world we call our own, then check it out...You will not be disappointed.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-03-26 15:57:59 EST)
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| 03-05-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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This tome about, well, everything, was simply a joy to read for a busy lay, professional person. Simple yet profound and insigtful insides about a myriad interesting subjects that provided entertainment and which were thought provoking.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-03-07 14:19:42 EST)
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