- Unknown Binding
- Publisher: Doubleday (2003)
- ASIN: B004K2O3J8
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (341 customer reviews)
A Short History Of Nearly Everything
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
115 of 116 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have never felt so compelled to write a review before; this book is a true masterpiece. Bill brings science to the masses in an entertaining and easy to understand manner. If you've ever wondered for example, what the theory of relativity actually means, get this book. I read it in a week, now I am going to read it again, and probably again after that! The size of the volume belies the breadth of topics covered.
Alongside the huge amount of science contained in this book, we also look back at the constant bickering, back-stabbing and fallings-out of history's great scientists and revolutionaries and wonder how scientific knowledge managed to advance in light of this.
This is truly a magnificent achievement given the author is not a scientist, but then if it were written by a scientist, would I have understood a word of it, and would I have enjoyed it so much?
198 of 206 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
My family bought me this book for my birthday at least partly to see whether reading it might make tea come out of my nose as had gratifyingly (for them) happened with an earlier Bill Bryson book that I had anti-socially taken to the table because I couldn't stop reading it.
It didn't, but it did cause me to go AWOL from my domestic responsibilities for quite some time, and sometimes to stagger round clutching my head as my brain refused to assimilate any more. I enjoyed it enormously. It's Bill Bryson's enviable gift to be able to write so clearly and elegantly, conveying his enthusiasm without drawing attention to his erudition. The fact that you find yourself becoming passionately interested in glaciers after a lifetime of not giving them a second thought says it all. Reading this book is a moving, frightening, awe inspiring and yet curiously optimistic experience, and everyone should do it.
My only complaint is that Doubleday have chosen not to bind this book properly. Gluing books together, especially hardback books, ought to be some sort of crime.
It didn't, but it did cause me to go AWOL from my domestic responsibilities for quite some time, and sometimes to stagger round clutching my head as my brain refused to assimilate any more. I enjoyed it enormously. It's Bill Bryson's enviable gift to be able to write so clearly and elegantly, conveying his enthusiasm without drawing attention to his erudition. The fact that you find yourself becoming passionately interested in glaciers after a lifetime of not giving them a second thought says it all. Reading this book is a moving, frightening, awe inspiring and yet curiously optimistic experience, and everyone should do it.
My only complaint is that Doubleday have chosen not to bind this book properly. Gluing books together, especially hardback books, ought to be some sort of crime.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Not being one of huge ability to read, I have strayed away from books for years, but with a newely found interest in the world around us, and history of the planet I decided to give this book a bash as it was recommended highly.
And what a delight. It challeneged me, entertained me, and educated me from start to finish. The way that Bill Bryson has writen this book, keeps you amazed, as he converts the astronomical numbers of life into things that can be conveyed into modern comprehension.
I changed my method of transport to work so I would have time to keep reading this, as time is limited at home, and I'm so glad I've finished it, as it has increased my knowledge of the world massively. A must for anyone with an inquisitive mind.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Now we need the TV serise
This may not be the best or the most complete history of science ever written but it is certainly one of the most readable. Read more
Published 24 days ago by Baldie
A Short History Of Nearly Everything
A Great book - gives a good insight into the science/ history of our planet/ universe and the inventions and discoveries which shape our lives. Read more
Published 1 month ago by JL
very informative
Fantastic read. I've always had a basic understanding of the world around me, or so I thought! Some of it is a little complex, but nothing too heavy. Read more
Published 1 month ago by james wiseman
Please review the abridged audio version!
I am quite sold enough on the paper version; what I need to know, when the audio book is described as abridged, is how much one loses, and whether one audio version contains more... Read more
Published 1 month ago by F. Lunnon
Awe Inspiring
This is a work of staggering brilliance yet reads as easily as a racy novel. It makes so much of our world so much more accessible and comprehensible. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Bill Badger
I would give it 4 1/2 stars if I could
This book has so many reviews that it is difficult to add something that has not been said. I will try, though I admit I have not read all the 300+ other reviews so I may repeat... Read more
Published 2 months ago by pichlo
Fascinating
Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" would make a great science textbook for high school students. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Niki Collins-queen, Author
one of the best books I have ever read
Having read all Bryson's work because of it entertainment value ,I was stunned by the depth of this tome. Superb condensing of some major scientific laws. Read more
Published 3 months ago by John P. Keating
A six-star book
Breathtaking in scope, audacious in ambition, thoroughly researched, impeccably honest, and remarkable for its lightness of touch with such weighty matters, you wouldn't be human... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Robert Macdonald
Science for people like me
Bill Bryson is such a great author, because he can keep you interested in ALL things. His travel guides are simply amazing, but he's now taken to writing other books, and this one... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Matt
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