A Short History of Nearly Everything

by Bill Bryson

book data

10,837 ratings, 4.12 average rating, 1,748 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		39%
4		38%
3		17%
2		3%
1		1%

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published

September 14th 2004 (first published 2003) by Broadway

binding

Paperback, 544 pages

literary awards

Royal Society Prize (Science) 2004, Aventis Prize for best general science book 2004, EU Descartes Prize 2004

isbn

076790818X (isbn13: 9780767908184)

description

From primordial nothingness to this very moment, A Short History of Nearly Everything reports what happened and how humans figured it out.

...more

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10/12/07

Foster rated it:

bookshelves: history, philosophy-and-religion

Read in February, 2007

This is one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read. There, I said it

Bryson's book combines the best qualities of science writers like Attenborough, Diamond, Durrell, and Wilson; presenting the information with the wit he is most known for. It is an amazing achievement to condense the entire base of human scientific knowledge into 478 pages, but Bryson has done it. I completely agree with Tim Flannery, who writes on the jacket that "all schools would be better places if it ...more This is one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read. There, I said it

Bryson's book combines the best qualities of science writers like Attenborough, Diamond, Durrell, and Wilson; presenting the information with the wit he is most known for. It is an amazing achievement to condense the entire base of human scientific knowledge into 478 pages, but Bryson has done it. I completely agree with Tim Flannery, who writes on the jacket that "all schools would be better places if it were the core science reader on the curriculum." I certainly would have gained much if I had read it when I was 15.

This is one of the few books that has truly challenged what I had previously held to be conventional wisdom (at least in my own mind). Two main changes have come about:

1. I had always been jealous of the "true" zoologists, such as Audubon and Darwin, who were around when the world was as yet unexplored, and discovering a species was as simple as being the first to walk into a patch of forest. I left science because the idea of being tied to a sterile lab held no interest for me. However, after reading Bryson's vignettes of early scientific/zoological exploration (much of which was both comic and tragic), I realize that those days weren't quite as idyllic as I had imagined.
2. Bryson does a "good" job of scaring the hell out of you by showing just how precarious our daily existence really is. I probably shouldn't say this, but it puts such problems as global climate change into context when you read how an eruption of the supervolcano beneath Yellowstone National Park would wipe out most of the life on earth in a painfully slow manner; especially when Bryson describes how this eruption is overdue by 30, 000 years by historical average.

Combined with those two new impressions, I am left with the following conclusions, and a slightly rearranged outlook on life.

First off, it is clear that science benefits from a large degree of serendipity. We as a species/civilization have been lucky to have some truly great minds working on deciphering the way our world works. Some of these are household names [Newton, Halley, Einstein], some are not [Henry Cavendish, Rosalind Franklin]. However, as with everything that us humans put our hands on, this endeavor wasn't perfect. Egregious mistakes, pathological lying, childlike rivalries and tantrums - they all occurred. On balance, whether they helped or hurt the effort isn't clear. But what is clear is that our present level of understanding was by no means assured.

Secondly, the fact that life is so tenuous makes one a little more philosophical. Since I've finished the chapter about Yellowstone and similar catastrophic threats, I find myself asking "what if today is the day?" It can be rough when you get on the bus at the end of a particularly annoying workday, when the disagreements were petty and you didn't get much done, and think "is that what I did on the last day of my life?"

Thankfully, that attitude only lasted for a short while, until I was able to reframe it in a more productive way. Now I tell myself not to worry about big problems that might happen in the future, because I know that we will be hit by a meteor, we will experience a supervolcano eruption. It's best to just enjoy every day, doing what you really know to be what it is that you want to do. Does that mean that I won't recycle anymore, that I will leave the tap running while I brush my teeth? No! Because doing things to reduce my impact makes me feel good, that I'm thinking about society's needs - not just my own. It's what I want to do.

So, in an incredible way (that even Bill Bryson probably didn't predict) this book can really change your life.(less)

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08/28/07

Sarah rated it:

bookshelves: non-fiction, popular-science

Read in September, 2007

Bryson's dead serious: this is a history of pretty much everything there is -- the planet, the solar system, the universe -- as well as a history of how we've come to know as much as we do. A book on science written by a non-scientist, this a perfect bridge between the humanities and the natural sciences. A course in the history of science should be mandatory for every teenager, and this should be the textbook.

Yes, it's a big, chunky book. No, it can't be trimmed down any further: wh...more Bryson's dead serious: this is a history of pretty much everything there is -- the planet, the solar system, the universe -- as well as a history of how we've come to know as much as we do. A book on science written by a non-scientist, this a perfect bridge between the humanities and the natural sciences. A course in the history of science should be mandatory for every teenager, and this should be the textbook.

Yes, it's a big, chunky book. No, it can't be trimmed down any further: when you're addressing cosmology, earth science, ecology and zoology, with healthy doses of chemistry and physics, plus the historical development of each, you're going to end up with a doorstop of a text, no matter how smoothly written. The wonder of Bryson's writing is that the reader doesn't get lost in these sweeping surveys. When name-dropping, Bryson always gives a short description of the person in question; if mentioned earlier in the book, he drops in a quick reminder to the reader. This is fabulously effective at giving the names some context, not to mention a little personality.

And indeed, isn't that what science education needs most: more humanity and less intimidation? Those science-phobes out there who freely admit their near-complete ignorance of the subject should do themselves a favor and buy a copy of this book. No, don't get it from your library. There's so much here you'll want to have a copy on hand to refer to later.

To those nerds in the audience -- myself included -- don't think your degrees mean you can pass this one over. As hyper-specialized as science has become, it's refreshing as hell to step back and take a look at things with new eyes. While there's not a lot here I haven't encountered before, there's a lot of information about how our current theories were developed that I didn't know.

(Also? It's heartening to read about the social ineptitude, blind spots, and how utterly incompetent many of these scientist were in other aspects of life. Makes me feel better about never finishing that PhD -- at least I have a life.)

Thorough, humorous, engaging, and educational: what's not to like?
(less)

Like this review? yes (5 people liked it)

3 comments

09/15/07

Martine rated it:

(review of isbn 0552997048)

bookshelves: non-fiction, popular-science

Read in May, 2007

recommends it for: science dummies with a sense of humour.

I know virtually nothing about science, so it was with some trepidation that I began reading this introduction to life, the universe and everything, which deals with questions such as "How did the universe originate?" and "How much does planet Earth weigh?". I ended up enjoying the hell out of it, as Bryson's writing style is so witty and accessible that it frequently made me laugh out loud. He has a knack of telling you not just about major developments in the history of the...more

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10/12/07

Grumpus rated it:

(review of isbn 0767908171)

bookshelves: audiobook

Read in October, 2007

recommends it for: anyone wanting to know how it all began

This is based upon the audio download from [www.audible.com].

Narrated by: Richard Matthews

Don’t let the 3 star rating mislead you. This was an awesome book and I’m certain others will think more highly of it. It is a great introduction for those not into the biography of the universe and the history of science. However, if you watch the Science Channel, History Channel, PBS, etc., then you’ll already know much of what’s covered. It is the true "Once upon...more

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10/06/07

Paul rated it:

bookshelves: misc

Okay, so here's my Bill Bryson story. I was in The Gladstone, a public house not too far from this very keyboard, with my friend Yvonne, who will remain nameless. We had been imbibing more than freely. A guy approached our table and asked me in a sly surreptitious manner if I was him. Him who? Was I Bill Bryson? Now it is true that I bear a very slight resemblance

http://www.speakingvolumes.co.uk/images/...

but you could also say that about Benny from Abba

http://www.abbaexpress.co.uk/benny/benny......more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

6 comments

07/29/07

Bookshop rated it:

(review of isbn 0552151742)

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in January, 2005

Bill Bryson is one of my favourite travel writers. He is immensely funny. He's an American married to a Brit and lives in the UK now. That has an influcence is his writing: he has taken up the dry, self-depreciating humour of the Brits while, at times, remained blunt and straight-forward, as Americans do.

This is his first attempt to write something other than travelling. The book is about science, general science for general public. It covers everything from astronomy to zoology, fro...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

2 comments

01/22/08

John rated it:

(review of isbn 0385408188)

bookshelves: fact, humour, multiple-re-reads

Read in July, 2008

recommends it for: The world...

Bill Bryson is excellent... so witty and funny. His writing makes me laugh out loud and cry with laughter - sometimes I can barely breathe.

His research is also wonderful and the facts, presented in this book, are not only interesting, but also startling, fascinating and stimulating. The whole book is wonderfully assembled and a delight to read, re-read and simply to dip into.

Indeed... I am re-reading again....

It is, however, a severe worry to me that many of t...more

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

5 comments

04/03/08

David rated it:

bookshelves: nonfiction, pop-science

There are, broadly speaking, two classes of interesting popular science books. The first class is written by scientists who want to reach a popular audience; the second class is written by journalists who find a particular scientific topic interesting. Good examples of the first class include the writing of Henri Poincare (The Value of Science is a recent printing of three of his books in one volume -- still relevant over a century after they appeared, and it made me wish I could read the orig...more

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01/10/08

Sammy rated it:

Read in February, 2008

recommends it for: anyone that enjoys earth science, living on earth, or understanding the planet on which they live.

I really love this book.
I really think you should read it.

I must admit that I'm somewhat biased; I was already a fan of Bryson's work, and I am generally interested in the sciences. Perhaps as a function of that, I believe this to be my favorite of his books (so far).

It's hard for me not to talk to people about the things I read in this book. I mean, it's all so completely interesting to me that I think it should be discussed at all times, in addition to the fac...more I really love this book.
I really think you should read it.

I must admit that I'm somewhat biased; I was already a fan of Bryson's work, and I am generally interested in the sciences. Perhaps as a function of that, I believe this to be my favorite of his books (so far).

It's hard for me not to talk to people about the things I read in this book. I mean, it's all so completely interesting to me that I think it should be discussed at all times, in addition to the fact that I don't think people realize a lot of the things discussed therein.

I read excerpts to my sixth graders, most of whom sigh in response to my enthusiasm, when related topics arise in class, particularly Science and Social Studies (Pompeii is always good for a volcano digression), but I really can't imagine any grown individual of reasonable intellect and range of interests to find this book lacking.

And yes, I'm willing to contend that some aspects may be overlooked, or others perhaps exaggerated, but come on: Bryson never claimed to be a scientist. Science is imperfect itself, so who can really harp on someone who's just trying to put a little spunk into what many consider unreasonably drab or unappealing material? If anything, any hiccups in accuracy catalyze debate and arguments, which, inevitably, elevates scientific discourse. Even our failures lead to progress.

I consider this book to have been somewhat eye-opening with respect to the cursory science education many of us get (save but for scientists, and those pursuing that area of Academia). I mean, take it from me, one who teaches sixth grade science: the curriculum isn't all that exciting at times, and if you only paid attention as much as most of my students, this book goes a lot farther in teaching you where exactly we live, and how unlikely it is that you're reading this right now.

(Those probabilistic assertions being made, I might point you to John Allen Paulos's "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" for a similarly eye-opening treatment of mathematics. At the very least, you'll get to wow your friends by calculating the rate at which human hair grows in miles per hour.)(less)

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11/06/07

Jason rated it:

(review of isbn 0767908171)

Read in March, 2004

I found the title of this work somewhat misleading. Perhaps it should have been called A History of the Natural Sciences or maybe even A Short History of Natural History. Nevertheless, science books often do not sell well so I am sure the idea in titling the book A Short History of Nearly Everything was to attract more of a broad readership. The book itself isn't awful but certainly reads like a survey work. In other words, you won't learn complicated how-tos of scientific methodology but you wi...more

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05/19/07

Sarah rated it:

I have to say this is by far one of the best books I've ever read. Although I haven't finished I'm in love with this book.
My chemistry teacher gave me it to read a while back and it took me a while to get started on it, but after I did I couldn't put it down. You don't have to have a real passion for physics or biology or chemistry to appreciate the book as a whole. Although I find some chapters more intresting than others, the footnotes that Bryson includes definetly make the book as lig...more

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05/17/07

Abe Brennan rated it:

Read in July, 2004

This book is what its title claims: a comprehensive—and often hilarious—look at the big moments in natural history, chemistry, biology, astronomy, etc. Bryson's breezy narrative style suits the project well, and his initial professed ignorance helps get the reader on board from the outset (no didacticism here—he’s a dummy like the rest of us (well, me, at any rate)). He may be prone to overdo the humor (or perhaps go too far in the cheese department), but the fact that he adopts a rath...more This book is what its title claims: a comprehensive—and often hilarious—look at the big moments in natural history, chemistry, biology, astronomy, etc. Bryson's breezy narrative style suits the project well, and his initial professed ignorance helps get the reader on board from the outset (no didacticism here—he’s a dummy like the rest of us (well, me, at any rate)). He may be prone to overdo the humor (or perhaps go too far in the cheese department), but the fact that he adopts a rather irreverent tone with respect to these hallowed men and their theories, experiments, etc. makes for an enjoyable journey (the reader feels like a school kid making fun of the master behind his back). It is truly a marvel how, in merely a few sentences, Bryson sums up the lives of the most renowned in the history of all science, and how many of these summations have one’s jaw dropping at the levels of misfortune that befell some of these characters. While enjoyable, this book is, quite frankly, a doom-laden tome. Part of Bryson's success is his ability, via avuncular hardy har har, to impart these soul-searing scenarios of random chance and inevitable obliteration without sounding like a guy on the corner in a white robe with a Repent! The End is Nigh! sign in his hands. Bryson is more like, "Check out this marvelous, mind-blowing factoid about the universe's inception...oh, and hey, by the way, we're doomed." Bryson’s not a bully, but he’s covering a bludgeoning subject. We find ourselves cowed by geologic time: we're such a blip on the screen, a pebble on the celestial highway, that it's hard not to feel utterly inconsequential in the grand scheme. This is particularly true for those of us who harbor delusions of, if not grandeur, than leaving some sort of lasting impression on the world (even if it's merely negative). The random nature of evolution contributes to a feeling of fundamental ennui: the development of life—our species in particular—can be read as such a fluke that it produces a kind of "Jeez, I'm just lucky to be here" immobilizing humility. Ultimately, this book isn't about retention: it's a crash course in the origins and development of our natural world/cosmos. The endeavor in itself is ridiculous, which is one of the charming elements of Bryson's book: If it's hubris that prompts him to tackle this, then it's of a remarkably ingenuous, "hey, why not?" or "I'm just trying to help" variety. The material goes in and out of the reader’s consciousness, page by page, chapter by chapter, and one finds oneself enveloped in wonder and fear by turns. But the totality of the reading experience leaves a residual presence in the head of the reader: she may not know specifics, but she’s been given a glimpse of the known world from the perspective of EVERY discipline in the natural sciences—a remarkable accomplishment on Bryson's part.(less)

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05/13/07

Ms Sarah rated it:

Read in May, 2007

Not everyone is a science geek. Bill knows that.

I am a science geek. Not that I took a lot of science courses, but it's a source of fascination for me. There was a lot of stuff I already knew -- if you've read A Brief History of Time the first two chapters are a wash -- but there was also a lot of stuff I didn't. It is miraculously accessible and funny, like all of Bryson's work.

This is a textbook on its face, but at its heart is the diary of a grown man coming home e...more

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10/01/08

Tamra rated it:

bookshelves: favorites, my-re-read-list

Read in November, 2008

I wanted to share a story about the Introduction. I was reading on the page that tells about him seeing the cut-out of the earth when he was a boy and just being fascinated by it: how did they know what was down there in the center of the earth, etc. I have the hefty illustrated edition, so it showed the cut out. My 7-year-old daughter walks in, looks at the picture and says, "Can they really take out part of the earth like that?" I told her no. "Can they dig down that far?"...more

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04/08/09

Jen rated it:

Read in April, 2009

i feel like i've conquered something, finally finishing this book. it's like a tome of superlatives. it's like the title should be IN CAPS WITH EXCLAMATION POINTS !!! it's like if i'd had this book (and bill nye) in high school and college, i would have cared more (however, i still don't care about chemistry). if this book and my favorite book had a baby, my brain would spooge. bless you, bill bryson, for bringing it.

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11/04/07

Elizabeth rated it:

bookshelves: worth-reading

I got into a conversation with someone at a conference about this book. It made me remember how much I enjoy his writing. As my fellow lunch conversationalist said, "Bill Bryson has a talent for finding the absurd about any situation and relating it in a way that is eminently funny and engaging." (And yes, the lunch conversationalist was a bit pompous.)

However, pomposity does not negate the fact that this is a great book. As the title suggests, it really is about almost...more

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05/18/07

Tony rated it:

Read in March, 2008

There is just far too much in here to review in any sort of rational way. The book matches the title well: it is a short history of nearly anything, and as such, sinks its teeth truly into nothing. The best parts were all the random funny asides about the peculiar personality types of strange scientists, which is very amusing and reminiscent of his other works (the travel genre) from which he is more famous. In general, it is an enjoyable fluffy read, but sadly, not informative enough for those ...more

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08/18/07

Megan rated it:

Read in March, 2008

It says I finished this is March 2008 but it is important to note I started it last summer. It took a long time. Interestingly though that doesn't mean it was bad, it is just long and caters easily to frequently month long stops. It is an easy book to pick up and start anywhere. All in all I really liked it, it is mostly a nicely written history of science and some sciences have more interesting history's than others but they all have their eccentrics.
Bill Byrson is always entertaining an...more

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07/09/07

Meghan rated it:

Read in May, 2007

recommends it for: everyone

Everyone should read this book. There is so much information in this book and I believe everyone will get something different out of it. You will learn a lot about human beings need for knowledge while at the same time our some what automatic reaction to reject ideas that contradict our old way of thinking. It reminds us of how far we have come and how far we have yet to go,how little we really know about the universe and how we got here. That there is still so much mystery to it all. My fa...more

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10/01/08

Alison rated it:

(review of isbn 0552151742)

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in February, 2006

recommended to Alison by: Melanie Aves
recommends it for: Absolutely anyone

Thought this book was amazing. What an undertaking: to encompass the history of the universe in one single book. Yet he does it with incredible grace and credibility. His capacity for research, for organized thought, and for presenting complex information in an entertaining while still informative way is pretty incredible. The book became the basis for countless conversations while I was reading it -- it's full of information/facts/data that are great fodder for thought and chatter. This would b...more

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quotes from this book

"Incidentally, disturbance from cosmic background radiation is something we have all experienced. Tune your television to any channel it doesn't receive, and about 1 percent of the dancing static you see is accounted for by this ancient remnant of the Big Bang. The next time you complain that there is nothing on, remember that you can always watch the birth of the universe." More quotes...