Big Books of 2026
Jeffry Schneider asked this question about A Short History of Nearly Everything:
What's the most fascinating tidbit of information you learned from this book?
Laura Trussell As a science-dilettante, I found nearly all of Bryson’s book wondrous and mind-blowing. Now that I’ve settled down and looked back, I think the parts …moreAs a science-dilettante, I found nearly all of Bryson’s book wondrous and mind-blowing. Now that I’ve settled down and looked back, I think the parts about the unlikeliness and evolutionary importance of slime-molds (I’m not kidding) was among the most enlightening for me. His telling of early “physicists” and geologists and their dare-devil searches and experiments is a continuous and sometimes heart-breaking thrill. The gently humorous way he describes the end-of-life agonies of many or most of these discredited discoverers of wonders shows his empathy. If Bryson doesn’t fully understand what he’s writing about, all is forgiven, as he admits that right at the beginning.(less)
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A Short History of Nearly Everything
by Bill Bryson
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