Bill Bryson is one of the worlds most beloved and bestselling writers. In A Short History of Nearly Everything, he takes his ultimate journeyinto the most intriguing and consequential questions that science seeks to answer. Its 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 worlds most profound scientific minds, living and dead. His challenge is to take subjects like geology, chemisty, paleontology, astronomy, and particle physics and see if there …
Bill Bryson is one of the worlds most beloved and bestselling writers. In A Short History of Nearly Everything, he takes his ultimate journeyinto the most intriguing and consequential questions that science seeks to answer. Its 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 worlds most profound scientific minds, living and dead. His challenge is to take subjects like geology, chemisty, paleontology, astronomy, and particle physics and see if there isnt 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.
Review of 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' on 'Storygraph'
5 stars
Wow what a delightful book this is. There was almost nothing here I didn't already know, more or less. But it was all presented in such a well integrated and beautiful way that it was a joy to read. I’m a big Bryson fan and this has been on my list a long time. I’m so glad I finally got to it.
Wow what a delightful book this is. There was almost nothing here I didn't already know, more or less. But it was all presented in such a well integrated and beautiful way that it was a joy to read. I’m a big Bryson fan and this has been on my list a long time. I’m so glad I finally got to it.
Review of 'Een kleine geschiedenis van bijna alles' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
Interestin and well-written overview, but sometimes it relies too much on the reader's knowledge of the geography of the USA, which can be tricky for people from other countries. The Dutch translation is also a bit weird at times, a good editor would certainly have helped.
Interestin and well-written overview, but sometimes it relies too much on the reader's knowledge of the geography of the USA, which can be tricky for people from other countries. The Dutch translation is also a bit weird at times, a good editor would certainly have helped.
Review of 'A short history of nearly everything' on 'LibraryThing'
1 star
Im absolutely mystified at the popularity of this book. I found it tedious that it spent more time talking about the controversy around things than the things themselves. Also find Bryson's chatty, sophmoric writing style annoying. Pales in comparison to anything written by Simon Winchester.
Im absolutely mystified at the popularity of this book. I found it tedious that it spent more time talking about the controversy around things than the things themselves. Also find Bryson's chatty, sophmoric writing style annoying. Pales in comparison to anything written by Simon Winchester.
