A Short History of Nearly Everything

by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson describes himself as a reluctant traveller, but even when he stays safely at home he can't contain his curiosity about the world around him. "A Short History of Nearly Everything" is his quest to understand everything that has happened from the Big Bang to the rise of civilisation - how we got from there, being nothing at all, to here, being us. The ultimate eye-opening journey through time and space, revealing the world in a way most of us have never seen it before.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, History, Audiobook, Humor, Physics, Historical

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Bill Bryson is a bestselling American-British author known for his witty and accessible nonfiction books spanning travel, science, and language. He rose to prominence with Notes from a Small Island (1995), an affectionate portrait of Britain, and solidified his global reputation with A Short History of Nearly Everything (2003), a popular science book that won the Aventis and Descartes Prizes. Raised in Iowa, Bryson lived most of his adult life in the UK, working as a journalist before turning to writing full-time. His other notable works include A Walk in the Woods, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, and The Mother Tongue. Bryson served as Chancellor of Durham University (2005–2011) and received numerous honorary degrees and awards, including an honorary OBE and election as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society. Though he announced his retirement from writing in 2020, he remains one of the most beloved voices in contemporary nonfiction, with over 16 million books sold worldwide.

Reviews

[Chikuwa34]

様々な自然科学の分野について、「我々が何を知っているか」「どのようにしてそれを知るに至ったか」を、平易な語で説明してくれる本。
多くの分野で、現在支配的な学説が当初は異端とされてからひっくり返ったって歴史があるのは、クーンのパラダイムシフト論を裏付けるようにも思える。
研究者らの生々しい競争や思いがけない端緒からの発見など、それぞれの研究史にドラマがあって面白い。
知っていたと思ってたけど知らなかったことも多かった(原子は実際は太陽と惑星みたいな構造じゃない!)。
全体として楽しめたし、一周しただけでは取りこぼしも多い気がするからまた読み直したい。