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A Short History of Nearly Everything

by Bill Bryson

4.19 · Rating Details · 204,516 Ratings · 8,973 Reviews

In Bryson's 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 ...more

Paperback, First Trade Paperback Edition, 544 pages

Published September 14th 2004 by Broadway Books (first published 2003)

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Oct 21, 2013 Manny rated it really liked it

Shelves: science, history-and-biography, well-i-think-its-funny, the-goodreads-experience

A Short History of Goodreads

Surveys show that nearly 40% of all Americans believe the history of literature started in 2007, when Amazon sold the first Kindle; indeed, Amazon Fundamentalists hold it as an article of faith that Jeff Bezos actually wrote all the world's e-books over a period of six days. This is, of course, nonsense. It has been conclusively demonstrated that literature is far older than the Kindle; books already existed thousands of years ago, which were the direct ancestors of t A Short History of Goodreads

Surveys show that nearly 40% of all Americans believe the history of literature started in 2007, when Amazon sold the first Kindle; indeed, Amazon Fundamentalists hold it as an article of faith that Jeff Bezos actually wrote all the world's e-books over a period of six days. This is, of course, nonsense. It has been conclusively demonstrated that literature is far older than the Kindle; books already existed thousands of years ago, which were the direct ancestors of today's e-publications. For example, careful examination reveals that The Odyssey and The Gospel according to Saint Mark are primitive versions of Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters and Bared to You. Similar relationships have been shown to obtain for all modern books.

Problems arise, however, from the fact that these archaic protobooks still exist today; indeed, some have adapted to the e-reader environment and begun to thrive there. It is entirely too easy for an unsuspecting internet shopper to purchase a copy of Pride and Prejudice, incorrectly believing that it is part of the Twilight series. From the standpoint of formal literary theory, it is admittedly incorrect to say that Pride and Prejudice is "worse" than Twilight. They are simply different; neither one is "worse" than the other, since they have developed in different environments.

From a practical point of view, however, a person who buys a Jane Austen novel is almost certain to be disappointed. There are no vampires or werewolves; sex is barely even hinted at; most upsettingly of all, the book will be full of long sentences and difficult words. The combination of these factors can only lead to an intensely unpleasant reading experience, which may discourage the reader from making new Amazon purchases for days or even weeks afterwards. Particularly given the fragile state of the US economy, this is evidently not an acceptable state of affairs.

People have always exchanged recommendations and warnings with their friends, but it became clear that a more systematic approach was needed. There had to be a place where book-consumers could post advice and help each other avoid these infuriating mistakes, so that everyone could be sure of reading nothing but up-to-the-minute YA erotic paranormal romances.

Thus was born Goodreads.

This work by Manny is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License ...more

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Apr 16, 2009 Jamie rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: absolutely anyone

Shelves: nature-walk, non-fiction

Good grief if I had even one textbook half this enthralling in high school, who knows what kind of impassioned -ologist I would have grown up to be. I hereby petition Bryson to re-write all curriculum on behalf of the history of the world.

I would run across things half-remembered from midterms and study guides and think, "You mean this is what they were talking about? You have got to be kidding me." It's never condescending, always a joy.

In fact, what I loved most is the acute, childlike sense o ...more

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Oct 06, 2007 Paul Bryant rated it liked it

Shelves: science

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

but you could also say that about Bjorn from Abba

and a zillion other white guys with beards and gently rounded fizzogs. Anyway, withou ...more

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Nov 30, 2009 Grace Tjan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: general-non-fiction, 2009

What I learned from this book (in no particular order)

1. Phosphor was accidentally discovered when a scientist tried to turn human urine into gold. The similarity in color seemed to have been a factor in his conviction that this was possible. Like, duh. I’m no scientist, but shouldn’t it be obvious enough?

2. “In the early 1800s there arose in England a fashion for inhaling nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, after it was discovered that its use ‘ was attended by a highly pleasurable thrilling’. For ...more

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Aug 28, 2007 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, popular-science

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 ad 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?
...more

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Dec 27, 2014 Dan Schwent rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015

A Short History of Nearly Everything is Bill Bryson's summation of life, the universe, and everything, a nice little easy-reading science book containing an overview of things every earthling should be aware of.

As I've repeatedly mentioned over the years, every time one of the casual-readers tells me I have to read something, like Harry Potter or the DaVinci Code, I dig my feet in deeper and resolve to never read it. This is one of the occasions I should have shaved a decade off of my stubbornne ...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Manny rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anyone even slightly interested in science

Recommended to Manny by: Leon Stirling

Shelves: science, history-and-biography, well-i-think-its-funny

It's easy to nitpick A Short History of Nearly Everything. Bryson, by his own cheerful admission anything but a scientist, makes a fair number of mistakes. He says that all living creatures contain hox genes; he omits Alexander Friedmann and George Gamow from his description of how the Big Bang theory was developed; when talking about Darwin and Paley, he doesn't seem to be aware that Natural Theology was one of Darwin's favorite books and had a huge influence on him. Those are just a few of the ...more

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Oct 12, 2007 Foster rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history, philosophy-and-religion

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 sci 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. ...more

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May 17, 2011 Patrick rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Picked this up on audiobook when I was on tour and listened to it in my car.

I found it fascinating and informative. Kinda like a reader's digest version of the history of science. And even though I knew a fair chunk of what was mention, there was a lot of material I'd never even had a glimmer of before.

Fair warning: If you are prone to worry about, say, the end of the world. This probably isn't the book for you.

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Feb 27, 2017 Andrew Smith rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

I was never any good at science. At the grammar school I attended we were shepherded into laboratories for lessons on physics, chemistry and biology. These were scary places; I’d never been anywhere like this before. The physics lab had gas taps and Bunsen burners and the walls were filled with incomprehensible charts. The chemistry lab held rows of specimen jars, more gas taps and burners and an underlying smell of something unpleasant and vaguely dangerous. The biology lab displayed pictures a I was never any good at science. At the grammar school I attended we were shepherded into laboratories for lessons on physics, chemistry and biology. These were scary places; I’d never been anywhere like this before. The physics lab had gas taps and Bunsen burners and the walls were filled with incomprehensible charts. The chemistry lab held rows of specimen jars, more gas taps and burners and an underlying smell of something unpleasant and vaguely dangerous. The biology lab displayed pictures and diagrams of human body parts and there were constant rumours of creature dissections and other nasty things to come. Beyond the physical fears it was clear that each subject had its own language. I was fluent in none of them. I ceased study on all of these subjects at the earliest opportunity.

But I left school feeling that I’d missed out on part of my core education. And I had. So I’d had my eye on this book for some time. I’ve long been a fan of Bryson’s insightful yet amusing take on the world. Surely his commentary of all things scientific couldn’t be too painful, could it? The book walks through just about every significant scientific discovery from the creation of the universe to the present day. Well, not quite the present day, given this book was published some fourteen years ago. But given the universe is currently thought to be some 13.7 billion years old, I’m comfortable it covers the mother lode.

The list of sciences included is exhaustive, I spotted whole bunch but I’m also convinced I missed a few. My list comprises:

Anthropology
Astronomy
Botany
Cosmology
Chemistry
Ecology
Geology
Human Biology
Meteorology
Oceanography
Physics
Zoology

It’s fascinating stuff – staggering, in fact. I’d heard of the Big Bang theory, of course, but I’d never delved into the detail of it. The explanation here is clear and concise - it’s still mind bending, but I was able to follow most of the explanation. There were some sections where the detail did become a little heavy – the account of plant life being categorised lumbered on interminably – but on the whole the pacing felt spot on. It’s also very well structured, with relevant topics being grouped together. It flowed well and told a compelling story.

As I worked my way through this book, the thought that kept leaping to the fore was that these brilliant theories and discoveries came about largely as a result of scientists and non-scientists working something out via observation, association and calculation – the kicker being that nearly all of these milestone events predate computers, email and the internet. It’s incredible. In one example twenty years was spent on a calculation using pencil, paper and a slide rule. The same calculation could now be completed using a computer in a single day.

Yes, because of its publication date there are a few recent finds that aren’t included - confirmation of the existence of the Higgs boson particle in 2012 is one example – but I really don’t think it missed out too much of any significance. For anyone looking for a comprehensive but easy to follow history of scientific discovery, from the very beginning, look no further. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. ...more

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Sep 09, 2014 فهد الفهد rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 0-favorites, non-fiction-science

موجز تاريخ كل شيء تقريباً

رغم الترجمة التي تكبو أحياناً، ورغم ما يقال بأن هناك فصل سقط في الترجمة!! إلا أن هذا كتاب عظيم بحق، عمل مبهر ولذيذ، وضع بيل برايسون هذا الكتاب للإجابة على الأسئلة العلمية التي يجهلها حول الأرض والطبيعة بشكل عام، هذه الأسئلة التي انهالت عليه وهو يحدق في البحر من نافذة طائرة، تحولت إلى رحلة ممتعة، له ولنا، فبرايسون لا يرهقنا بالحقائق العلمية كأنما هو موسوعة، وإنما يدسها لنا في حكايات متشابكة، عن العلم والعلماء في سعيهم للفهم، وبناء كل تلك العلوم من الجذاذات التي بين أيديه ...more

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Sep 16, 2016 Mohammed-Makram rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: history, science, favorites

يحكى أن يهوديا قرر الذهاب إلى دمياط للتجارة و حينما وصل إليها أراد اختبار أهلها قبل أن يبدأ مشروعه فأشار للصبى الذى أستأجره ليكون دليلا له
خذ هذا القرش فاشتر لنا غداء و شراب و حلوى و لا تنسى طعام للحمار و شيئا أتسلى به فى طريقى
كان القرش لا يشترى بالكاد وجبة طعام لشخص واحد الا ان الشاب الدمياطى - و الدمياطى لمن لا يعرف كالخليلى فى الأدبيات الفلسطينية – ذهب إلى السوق و اشترى بطيخة بنصف قرش و أعاد لليهودى النصف الأخر قائلا له
هى غداء لنا و فى نفس الوقت تحلية و شراب و نعطى للحمار قشرها و نتسلى بلبها ط
يحكى أن يهوديا قرر الذهاب إلى دمياط للتجارة و حينما وصل إليها أراد اختبار أهلها قبل أن يبدأ مشروعه فأشار للصبى الذى أستأجره ليكون دليلا له
خذ هذا القرش فاشتر لنا غداء و شراب و حلوى و لا تنسى طعام للحمار و شيئا أتسلى به فى طريقى
كان القرش لا يشترى بالكاد وجبة طعام لشخص واحد الا ان الشاب الدمياطى - و الدمياطى لمن لا يعرف كالخليلى فى الأدبيات الفلسطينية – ذهب إلى السوق و اشترى بطيخة بنصف قرش و أعاد لليهودى النصف الأخر قائلا له
هى غداء لنا و فى نفس الوقت تحلية و شراب و نعطى للحمار قشرها و نتسلى بلبها طوال الطريق
أدار اليهودى حماره عائدا و قال قوم مثل هذا لا يرجى من ورائهم مكسب.
فلنترك هذه الحكاية و سأقص عليكم حكاية أخرى تخص بطيخة أخرى
ندخل فى الموضوع
- طلبك عندى يا سيدنا الأفندى
قالها أمين المكتبة الكهل و هو يعدل وضع نظارته ذات الغطاء السميك و ينظر بدهشة إلى هذا الفتى المتأنق الذى كان طلبه غريبا و مربكا بعض الشىء
- أريد شيئا عن الكون و بدايته .. الإنفجار الكبير و المنظومة الشمسية ... النجوم و المستعرات الضوئية و النيازك .. المذنبات و تاريخها و كيف يمكن أن تهدد الأرض .. أريد أيضا أن أعرف كيف يقيسون هذه المسافات الشاسعة المقدرة بعشرات السنوات الضوئية.
- عندى كتاب هيعجبك قوى بتاع هاوكينج. حاجه كده من الأخر
- ألديك أيضا شيئا عن الأحافير و المسحاثات يكون سهل و شامل و فى نفس الوقت يشرح كيف انقرضت الديناصورات و كيف نقدر أعمار المستحاثات و فترات معيشتها و عصورها و التاريخ الجيولوجى للأرض
- عندى كتاب هيعجبك و كمان مجموعة مقدمة قصيرة جدا فيها شوية كتب معقولين و خد كمان التحفة العلمية السمكة داخلك
- طيب بالنسبة للكيمياء و الجدول الدورى للعناصر و اكتشاف اسرار المادة
- لا دى بقى تاخد لها فيلم فيديو من ثلاث أجزاء
https://youtu.be/jQmyR0hnd9c?list=PLg...
- آينشتين و نيوتن و أساطين الفيزياء أسمع عنهم كثيرا فهل أجد لديك شيئا من أعمالهم و تأثيرهم فى العلم
- عندى طبعا مجموعة كتب كويسة بس للأمانه بعضها لسه هقرأه بس بيشكروا فيها جامد
- حسنا ماذا عن الذرة و تاريخها و الكواركس و ميكانيكا الكم و نظرية الأوتار الفائقة
- عندى كتاب الثورة العلمية و كتاب الفيزياء المسلية هاجيبهم لك
- أريد كتاب أيضا عن التلوث و حماية البيئة و كيف ساهم الإنسان فى ذلك
و أيضا البراكين و الزلازل و الألواح التكتونية و تكون الجبال و الجزر أيضا أنا مهتم بها و بطريقة معرفتنا لها و توقعها
و لو توفر لديك شىء فى طبقات الجو و علوم الأرصاد الجوية و تأثيرات البحار و المحيطات على المناخ العالمى
- لا دى صعب تلاقيها هنا
- ماذا عن الخلية و الكائنات الدقيقة من ميكروبات و فيروسات و متعضيات و تكوينها و طريقة عملها و تصنيفها و تطورها
- عندى كتب كتير هتعجبك من لويس باستير لتشارلز دارون للجينوم هتحتاج حوالى خمس كتب علشان تغطى الموضوع ده.

كنت بالمصادفة جالسا فى نفس المكتبة بانتظار تغليف مجلد ميكى و منشغلا بقراءة عدد خاص من سلسلة رجل المستحيل و رغم ذلك تابعت الحوار الذى انتهى بأمين المكتبة الذى جهز حوالى خمسة عشر كتابا لهذا الشاب
اعتدلت قليلا و حييت الشاب و خاطبته قائلا
- بقولك ايه يا معلم .. الكتب دى كتير جدا و شكلك لسه جديد فى السكة دى
ما تاخد موجز تاريخ كل شيء تقريبًا

كتاب رائع و ممتع و مكتوب بإسلوب أدبى بليغ و هو ساخر أحيانا لدرجة الكوميديا. تجنب فيه المؤلف أى تعقيد علمى أو معادلات أو رسومات توضيحية و به كل ما تسأل عنه و زيادة فى حوالى خمسمائة صفحة من القطع المتوسط
باختصار هتقرأه و تدعيلى
هززت رأسى بثقة و نظرت إلى الشاب لأرى رد فعله على نصيحتى و لشدة دهشتى لم أجد لا شاب و لا مكتبة و وجدتنى ما زلت أسطر هذه المراجعة لهذا الكتاب الرائع
لمدمنى البطيخ من أمثالى أهدى هذه البطيخة الحلوة المتنكرة فى صورة كتاب
و أخيرا بعض الإقتباسات
1-
الحياة من وجهة نظر الكيمياء

2-
ماذا لو لم نكن وحدنا فى هذا الكون الشاسع

3-
العلم قد لا يكون معقدا و لكن العلماء هكذا يفعلون

4-

5-

6-

7-

8-

9-
ليس من السهل أن تكون عالما

10-
لماذا وجدت الحياة

11-
حتى كاميرون دياز ستجدها بين صفحات الكتاب

...more

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Aug 19, 2006 Otis Chandler rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: anyone curious about the world

Shelves: science, nonfiction, history

A fascinating history of science. Ever curious how everything we know about the world came to be - read this! I loved reading about what old greats like Darwin thought about the world - they were all right about most things, but also very wrong about some things - makes you wonder how much we are wrong about today!

Another interesting piece was how many of the world's prominent scientists had the time to do their research because they came from rich families. Very different from todays notion of ...more

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May 21, 2015 Amir rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science

از عنوان شروع کنیم

عنوان کتاب تقریبا گویای همهچیز هست. نویسنده نزدیک سه سال به شکل حیرتآوری حجم عظیمی از کتابهای علمی توی رشتههای مختلف رو خونده و به جاهای مختلف سر زده و تقریبا توی تمام شاخههای اصلی علم روز دنیا حداقل سی چهل صفحهای نوشته

آیا این کتاب ارتباطی به ما دارد؟

خوب. این یه سوال جدی برای من بود. چون شخصا هیچ ارتباطی با کتابهای علمی نداشتم و ندارم. اما خیلی وسوسهانگیزه که کتابی رو بخونی که توش عصارهی همهی علوم گنجونده شده باشه. کتابهایی که به این شکل وجه دایرهالمعارفی دارن این فرصت رو به خو از عنوان شروع کنیم

عنوان کتاب تقریبا گویای همه‌چیز هست. نویسنده نزدیک سه سال به شکل حیرت‌آوری حجم عظیمی از کتاب‌های علمی توی رشته‌های مختلف رو خونده و به جاهای مختلف سر زده و تقریبا توی تمام شاخه‌های اصلی علم روز دنیا حداقل سی چهل صفحه‌ای نوشته

آیا این کتاب ارتباطی به ما دارد؟

خوب. این یه سوال جدی برای من بود. چون شخصا هیچ ارتباطی با کتاب‌های علمی نداشتم و ندارم. اما خیلی وسوسه‌انگیزه که کتابی رو بخونی که توش عصاره‌ی همه‌ی علوم گنجونده شده باشه. کتاب‌هایی که به این شکل وجه دایره‌المعارفی دارن این فرصت رو به خواننده‌هاشون میدن که با یه مطالعه‌ی مختصر راجع‌به این شاخه‌ها حوزه‌ی مورد علاقه‌ی خودشون رو پیدا کنن

آیا کتاب خوبی است؟

توی مرورهایی که روی کتاب نوشته شده ایرادهایی رو بهش وارد کردند. با همه‌ی این احوال قطعا تاریخچه‌ی تقریبا همه چیز کتاب خوبیه. نویسنده انسان شوخ و دوست‌داشتنی‌ای هست و سعی کرده جا به جا از اتفاق‌های جالب علمی بگه که شاید توی متون "رسمی" علمی هیچ‌وقت ازشون صحبتی به میون نمیاد [بخش‌هایی از همین تیکه‌ها رو تو استتوس‌هام می‌تونید پیدا کنید]. دیگه این‌که نویسنده یه نیم‌نگاه خیلی جدی داشته به تاریخ غیررسمی علوم مورد بحث و سعی کرده از کسایی هم اسم ببره که در اثر بی‌توجهی مردم روزگارشون یا دزدیده شدن طرح یا ایده‌شون به شهرت واقعی و درخور فعالیت‌شون نرسیدن.

دنیای دانشمندها اون‌قدرها که فکر می‌کنیم دنیای اخلاقی‌ای نبوده
...

آخر کار

کتاب دوست‌داشتنی و خوش‌خونی هست با یه ترجمه‌ی خوب. هرچند که انتظار داشتم بخش مربوط به حیات موجودات زنده‌ش جذاب‌تر از این باشه. اما در کل یکی از بهترین گزینه‌ها برای یه آدم غیرمتخصص [مثل من] هست که ببینه بالای سرش، زیر پاش و توی بدنش چه دنیاهایی هست
... ...more

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Oct 07, 2014 Jonathan Ashleigh rated it really liked it

Shelves: recent

The best thing about this book is that it introduces other books you would like. It showed me that I should probably read more about Newton and Einstein, and that astronomy is something that I am still interested in. I did find myself scanning through certain sections because I already understood them well (the vastness of the universe) or I don't think I will ever understand them (complicated aspects of biology). Like all science book, they get outdated fast but this one is still holding up, at ...more

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Jul 14, 2011 Riku Sayuj rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Stunning in scope and execution. Loved every page of it, even geology was made exciting. That really is some feat.

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Apr 19, 2010 Dave Gaston rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nonfiction, history, ecology-earth-science, discovery, invention, science

First off, this is a huge departure from Bryson's breezy, excellent travel logs. Secondly, this book should be read with some frequency. It is so densely packed with valuable insight, and sound bites of discovery that you could not possibly absorb it all with one pass. This is my second time reading it and I plan on doing it again next year. The organizational structure is a wonderful series of loosely connected cameos covering several essential and enlightened discoveries of man. As an added bo ...more

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Oct 05, 2008 Diane rated it really liked it

Shelves: history, nonfiction, audiobooks, science

I must admit that science is not my strong suit -- I've always been more of a Humanities gal. In high school, I had to work harder in my biology and chemistry classes, whereas English, history and social studies always came more easily to me.

Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" is a good overview of all the science classes I didn't take (or don't remember) in college. It's like Intro to Physics, Chemistry, Geology and Astronomy all in one wonderfully droll book. Since I read very I must admit that science is not my strong suit -- I've always been more of a Humanities gal. In high school, I had to work harder in my biology and chemistry classes, whereas English, history and social studies always came more easily to me.

Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" is a good overview of all the science classes I didn't take (or don't remember) in college. It's like Intro to Physics, Chemistry, Geology and Astronomy all in one wonderfully droll book. Since I read very few books about science, this was an enjoyable departure for me.

Here is how the book begins: "Welcome. And congratulations. I am delighted that you could make it. Getting here wasn't easy, I know. In fact, I suspect it was a little tougher than you realize. To begin with, for you to be here now trillions of drifting atoms had somehow to assemble in an intricate and curiously obliging manner to create you. It's an arrangement so specialized and particular that it has never been tried before and will only exist this once. For the next many years (we hope) these tiny particles will uncomplainingly engage in all the billions of deft, co-operative efforts necessary to keep you intact and let you experience this supremely agreeable but generally under-appreciated state known as existence."

Some of my favorite sections were about the Big Bang, the debate about the age of the universe, plate tectonics, Darwin's research, and the extinction of different species. After sharing various stories of how humans have killed off who-knows-how-many species, Bryson interjects: "I mention all this to make the point that if you were designing an organism to look after life in our lonely cosmos, to monitor where it is going and keep a record of where it has been, you wouldn't choose human beings for the job." Sadly true, but also worth a HA!

I listened to this on CD read by the author, and if you've been following my reviews for a while, you'll know that I have a brain crush on Bryson and his narration. Seriously, I wish I could invite him over for tea and scones and just listen to him read all afternoon. (Bryson is from my home state of Iowa, but he's lived in England for so long that he's adopted a charming accent. It's adorable.) I was also able to look through a copy of the special illustrated edition, which includes dozens of photographs and prints. If you can find it, I highly recommend reading the illustrated edition.

"A Short History" was first published in 2003, and at the time, it was a big change from Bryson's previous travelogues. Since then, Bryson seems to have abandoned travel books and has been writing on different topics in history, such as the wonderful "At Home", "Shakespeare" and "One Summer: America 1927." While I enjoy his wry, humorous takes on history, I do miss his travel writing. If you're reading this, Bryson, please, take a trip somewhere. Have an adventure. Jot down a few notes and write another whip-smart travel book. Your fans will love it. ...more

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May 30, 2010 Maciek rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Basically everyone

Shelves: non-fiction, owned-books, own-in-paperback, big-tomes, scientific

This is an immensely readable book with a truly monumental amount of information. While reading it, one might wish to remember all its content, but it's written in a way allowing the reader to pick up the volume and start reading at any point, according to his interests, though Bryson relays all subjects in captivating and available way, with a big dose of humor.

This is a weighty book - 600 pages - but Bryson's not joking. He really tries to cover everything, from the beginning of the universe a This is an immensely readable book with a truly monumental amount of information. While reading it, one might wish to remember all its content, but it's written in a way allowing the reader to pick up the volume and start reading at any point, according to his interests, though Bryson relays all subjects in captivating and available way, with a big dose of humor.

This is a weighty book - 600 pages - but Bryson's not joking. He really tries to cover everything, from the beginning of the universe and the nature of our solar system and planet, through biological evolution of our species and the effects of us being here, both on nature and other creatures. Needless to say, he does an extremely good job of captivating the reader's attention from the first page and has no difficulty laying out complex concepts in a way that every reader will understand. Also, aside from all the facts, the book is also full of trivia and anecdotes about the experiments and the scientists who performed them.

In the introduction, Bryson recalls his childhood and remembers how he was fascinated by the image of a cross-section of our planet, but at the same time put down by the nature of the book that contained it. The dry presentation of the facts, that were accompanied only by a set of exercies to test the gained knowledge, puzzled him. How did these people know how our planet looks from the inside? And who exactly were they?
In his book, he accomplishes an important thing, one of the most important things - he presents the data while at the same time never letting go of the terribly exciting feeling of discovery, and presenting information about the discoverers themselves. It's obvious that he did a lot of research, but it's also obvious that these things fascinated him, and he grabs the reader's hand and runs headlong into the unexplored. And it is a world full of wonders.

If schoolteachers shared Bryson's joy and flair we might have ended up with a whole lot more of biologists, physicists, chemists and geologists. I don't know if it's the best book of it's kind, but it is certainly an achievement worth re-reading. ...more

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Nov 30, 2015 M. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, science, history, 2015

Hands down my favorite science text written by a non-scientist, although I should mention I don't make a habit of seeking out science books written by non-scientists for kicks. Like most (sensible? pragmatic? responsible?) people, I prefer to read about science from people who actually practice science. Bill Bryson is the only exception though because he's an exceptionally gifted writer who just happens to share my sense of humor--that the end is nigh and that maybe is not necessarily such a ter ...more

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May 16, 2016 Hussein Dehghani rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 1

آیا میدانستید ۱% برفکی که روی صفحهی تلویزیونتان ظاهر میشود، مربوط به نوری است که حدود ۱۴ میلیارد سال پیش در لحظهی مهبانگ (انفجار بزرگ) و آفرینش این جهان تولید شده است و تازه توانسته است راه طولانی مرز کیهان را تا زمین بپیماید و به ما برسد!؟
آیا میدانستید اگر آب بر خلاف تمام مایعات بر اثر جامد شدن (یخ زدن) حجمش افزایش نمییافت، احتمالن زندگی بر روی کرهی زمین شکل نمیگرفت؟
آیا میدانستید فضای کیهان پر است از ملکولهای پیچیده و آلی نظیر اسیدهای آمینه و قندها و مطمئنن سرچشمهی این ملکولها در این همه کهکشان آیا می‌دانستید ۱% برفکی که روی صفحه‌ی تلویزیونتان ظاهر می‌شود، مربوط به نوری است که حدود ۱۴ میلیارد سال پیش در لحظه‌ی مهبانگ (انفجار بزرگ) و آفرینش این جهان تولید شده است و تازه توانسته است راه طولانی مرز کیهان را تا زمین بپیماید و به ما برسد!؟
آیا می‌دانستید اگر آب بر خلاف تمام مایعات بر اثر جامد شدن (یخ زدن) حجمش افزایش نمی‌یافت، احتمالن زندگی بر روی کره‌ی زمین شکل نمی‌گرفت؟
آیا می‌دانستید فضای کیهان پر است از ملکول‌های پیچیده و آلی نظیر اسیدهای آمینه و قندها و مطمئنن سرچشمه‌ی این ملکول‌ها در این همه کهکشان، زمین کوچک ما نیست!
آیا می‌دانستید ما تنها موجودات هوشمند این جهان نیستیم و احتمالن پنج میلیون سیاره‌ی توانمندِ پرورش زندگیِ انسانی در همین کهکشان راه شیریِ خودمان وجود دارد؟
آیا می‌دانستید کیهان (کائنات) حدودن تهی از مادّه است و فاصله‌ی بین اجرام آسمانی خیلی بیشتر از حدّ تصوّر ماست؟ برای مثال قطرِ خود منظومه‌ی شمسی بیش از دو سال نوری (حدود دو تریلیون کیلومتر) است و میانگین فاصله‌ی سیّاره‌های حاوی موجودات هوشمند، حدود دویست سال نوری از هم؛ و احتمالن به همین دلیل است که هنوز ردّی از انسان‌هایی دیگر در کهکشان راه شیری به‌دست نیاورده‌ایم.
آیا می‌دانستید احتمالاً هنوز ۹۷% گیاهان و جانوران کره‌ی زمین را ندیده‌ایم و کشف نکرده‌ایم؟!
آیا می‌دانستید چه بسیار پیش آمده که کشف و اختراع یک دانشمند را نادیده گرفته‌اند و به نام دانشمندی دیگر ثبت کرده‌اند و دنیای حسادت‌ها و دشمنی‌های میان دانشمندان در کنار فداکاری‌ها و از جان گذشتگی‌های آن‌ها چه دگرگونی‌های پیش‌بینی نشده‌ای در تاریخ علم و پیشرفت بشر بر جای گذاشته است؟ اگر مادر مندلیف نبود، علم شیمی به کدام سو می‌رفت؟
آیا می‌دانستید… ...more

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Jul 31, 2008 David rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science, nonfiction

I am a scientist, and I found much of this book quite fascinating. The book certainly isn't comprehensive in any sense of the word--in fact it seems to roam in a semi-random sort of way; but the author's sense of humor and attention to colorful historical facts kept my interest from beginning to end.

One of the themes of this book, is that when someone comes up with with a new discovery, there are three stages before it is accepted:
1) Nobody believes it.
2) Nobody thinks it is important
3) It gets ...more

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Sep 22, 2016 Azumi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

El libro, como su título indica, da un repaso a un montón de temas como la cosmología, la física, la química, geología, paleontología, zoología, etc y etc... pero todo de una forma muy amena, fácil de entender, y sobre todo muy interesante.

Muerta me he quedado con la descripción de los miles de peligros que nos rodean, y que si estamos aquí hoy en día en este planeta es por puñetera casualidad u_u

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Sep 16, 2012 Shaimaa Ali rated it really liked it · review of another edition

That was an Encyclopedia not a book!

Bryson has taken us in a journey from "Cosmos" till we reached our Planet "Earth", then went into micro-details of almost all beings ..till he ended with us: Humans!!

I'm thrilled by his knowledge & all the scientific facts & theories in this book. The only weak point would be the prolonged, unnecessary details sometimes ..

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Nov 16, 2011 Daniel Bastian rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed

“Not one of your pertinent ancestors was squashed, devoured, drowned, starved, stranded, stuck fast, untimely wounded, or otherwise deflected from its life's quest of delivering a tiny charge of genetic material to the right partner at the right moment in order to perpetuate the only possible sequence of hereditary combinations that could result—eventually, astoundingly, and all too briefly—in you.”

A Short History of Nearly Everything is not as impossibly far-reaching as the title would indicate ...more

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May 09, 2011 Sean Endymion rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: No one.

Shelves: science, gave-up-on, history, non-fiction, worst-shit-ever

Oh my gods, what a waste of perfectly good paper! I am flabbergasted that this has such consistently high reviews...

Three problems with this tripe:
1. falsity of the science (most blatantly around cosmology, but not limited to any one field) and misunderstanding of scientific principles;
2. a focus more on "biography" rather than on real "history";
3. trivial worthlessness of the information.

Number 1 is briefly chronicled below. Within just the first 20 pages or so, there are ridiculous factual er ...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Yomna hosny rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own-a-copy

Something is very wrong with the world when this book is not required reading for high schoolers!

If we'd had this back when I was in high school, who knows what I would've done with my life! It certainly would have made things a lot less dreary.

It's just one of those books where you know, upon reading the very first page, that you're getting into something incredible !

I'm only 28 pages in and I'm already squirming in my seat with nerdy excitement.

This won't be the last of Bryson's books that I ...more

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Feb 23, 2017 TS Chan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, favorites, audiobook

I almost wanted to smack myself for not reading this book earlier. Having said that, since I've only started on audiobooks about 2-years back, perhaps it's not such a bad thing, because I believe with all my heart that I enjoyed this much more with the superb narration.

Firstly, A Short History of Nearly Everything is a title which is ambitious by any measure. Really? Nearly everything? Bill Bryson sure did a nifty job at creating this riveting read which I can describe alternately, though not pe ...more

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Sep 15, 2007 Martine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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

Shelves: popular-science, non-fiction

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 universe, but also ...more

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Dec 29, 2008 Ben Babcock rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: own, favourites, non-fiction, science, technology, history, deliciously-quotable, 2010-read, 2010-best10

Second reading review, May 7, 2010.

I cannot recommend this book enough. No word of hyperbole: this is a book that everyone should read. Bill Bryson takes the span of human existence and produced a popular history of science that's both accurate and moving. A Short History of Nearly Everything is a celebration of science, but it also evokes the sense of wonder about the universe that science makes available to us. And, almost inevitably, it underscores how much we still have yet to learn about ou ...more

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About Bill Bryson

William McGuire "Bill" Bryson, OBE, FRS

Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. He settled in England in 1977, and worked in journalism until he became a full time writer. He lived for many years with his English wife and four children in North Yorkshire. He and his family then moved to New Hampshire in America for a few years, but they have now returned to live in the UK.

In The Lost Con ...more

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Books by Bill Bryson

At Home: A Short History of Private Life

I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America after Twenty Years Away

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“Not one of your pertinent ancestors was squashed, devoured, drowned, starved, stranded, stuck fast, untimely wounded, or otherwise deflected from its life's quest of delivering a tiny charge of genetic material to the right partner at the right moment in order to perpetuate the only possible sequence of hereditary combinations that could result -- eventually, astoundingly, and all too briefly -- in you.” — 1516 likes

“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.” — 333 likes

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