A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
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Book Reviews of A Short History of Nearly Everything
Book Review: a lifetimes worth of dinner party conversations
Summary: 5 Stars
A few years ago, while gazing out the window of a transatlantic airplane, Bill Bryson was struck by his ignorance of the world around him. Bryson, an expatriated American humorist and travel author, decided to spend some time "reading books and journals and finding saintly, patient experts prepared to answer a lot of outstandingly dumb questions." The result of three years of research, A Short History of Nearly Everything is a praiseworthy ramble through subjects as diverse as its audacious title implies. Bryson describes our world from the scale of atoms to the size of galaxies, traces life on earth from primordial ooze to modern man, and contemplates theories on the creation of the universe and possible scenarios for the end of the world.
I have been a fan of Bryson's since his days as an amateur etymologist and enjoyed his accounts of ramblings through Britain, Europe, and small-town United States. Bryson's style is marked by the entertaining tangent. Though some might find his asides distracting, his ability to distill complex ideas and inject life into the most prosaic subjects makes him an ideal contributor to the popular literature of science.
Bryson is continuously amazed at the complexity of the universe, and a reader cannot help but be infected by his enthusiasm. His scope is remarkable; there is more interesting information than can be processed in one reading-a lifetime worth of dinner-party conversation pieces. The information was checked before publication by experts from a variety of fields, so is comfortingly accurate. But A Short History tells us about more than just science; it tells us how we came to know what we know about it. The narrative focuses on the scientists-famous or obscure-who first understood aspects of the world around us. In this way Bryson humanizes science and brings to life its most important actors.
Bryson's accomplishment lies in the sheer breadth of this book. It will be a rare reader who does not find some unfamiliar nugget of information. This is a highly enjoyable read and a perfect book for someone knowledgeable about one field of science who would like to learn more about others.
Book Review: Have you ever wondered about....
Summary: 5 Stars
Bill Bryson has written a book that will be entertaining and informative to a wide audience. As I write this review, there are already 652 reviews posted for the paperback edition.That's almost as many reviews as pages in my copy;and I am sure they will continue to be posted for a long time yet.I read a lot of reviews on a book, and I read several on this.They vary a lot but generally speaking,most who have read it ,found it very good and were very happy that they had read it.
Every once in a while one comes across words to the effect that the world's knowledge is increasing at such a tremendous pace that claims are made ,something like this; "The world's knowlege increased more in the last few years alone, than in the complete history of mankind" So,how can anyone keep up with it all.Obviously,it's impossible,even if only in a very selective area.
What Bryson has done is give us an overview of several areas of science that we hear about in our everyday lives and summarizes what they are about, and in a brief way,what they mean to us.
The topics he covers surround us every day,and are so complicated that man has only scratched the surface and will continue to study and learn more about in the future.
One can only imagine the amazement of a group of the world's greatest scientists ,from say the year 1800 ,and what would think if they were able to read this book today. The only conclusion they would come to is ;"You ain't seen nothing yet;we're just beginning to learn about this marvelous world around us.
Bryson has presented the advances in these sciences;in an unbelievably simple and readible manner for anyone to grasp , regardless of their scientific background.
If nothing else impresses you,how the author was able to research so much material to accomplish what he did,surely will.,I can't believe one man could cover so much even with the help of all those he mentioned in his Acknowledgements.His nearly 100 pages of Notes and Bibliography along with an excellent Index makes this a wonderful reference.
Book Review: Required Reading for Teenagers and Their Parents
Summary: 5 Stars
When I heard that Bill Bryson had written a book on science and the people behind major discoveries, I was highly skeptical. I knew BB though "The Lost Continent" and "I'm a Stranger Here Myelf" and I could not see how his wit, humor, and style could make a good science book. Then somebody I met happened to praise this book; so I bought it. WOW! Was I initially wrong! This book will make everybody including the worst students love science. Actually, it should be required reading in all high schools. Science teachers should use it to illustrate their lectures. Parents should read it to show their kids how science can be fascinating. Maybe if we do all this, we would have more students wanting to pursue a science career.
As the jacket says, this is not only a book about WHAT we know, but most importantly about HOW we know. And this is the HOW that makes this book fascinating. How do we know what atoms are made of? How do we know where we come from? How do we know what's in the center of the earth? For each question like this BB has made extensibve research and guide us into a compelling discovery experience.
It is also a book about WHO (the people behind the discoveries). BB'style is such that you can "see" them working in their lab or in the field. You feel like you are with them when they made their discoveries. And like in real life you will like some of them and do not like others.
The book covers five major domains of knowledge: 1) the universe, 2) the earth, 3) the atom, 4) life, and 5) the emergence of the human race. Each domain has been abundantly researched and is admirably presented. And if you want to know more there are 36 pages of notes and 10 pages of additional readings. Altogether there are 30 chapters and each chapter is ending in such a way that you cannot put the book down without wanting to know about the following chapter.
What a treat! Thank you Bill Dryson for having spent three years of your life to research and write such a treasure.
Book Review: Great, great read... not a quotable reference work but a hugely enjoyable discourse nevertheless
Summary: 5 Stars
One evening, not too many years ago, I found myself in a remote arctic community, sharing accommodations with a colleague which were singularly uncomfortable. There was no food provided,precious little furniture,and there were there no compensating diversions, such as a television or internet connection. Worst of all,in my estimation of the entire experience,the bedding consisted of nothing but a bare mattress without sheets, blankets or pillows. A pretty uncomfortable night in all respects!
Readers can probably imagine my discomfort to some degree, but I imagine most will be surprised to see me pin part of the blame for that awful night on Bill Bryson. As it happened, my colleague in misery that night had just finished Bryson's 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' and he lent it to me to keep me occupied (and from keeping him awake, I suspect). A lesser work might have lulled me to sleep eventually (and I especially needed a soporific), but instead I was was enthralled by Mr Bryson's compelling history of science to the degree that I spent the rest of the night finishing it from cover to cover.
Subsequent to my first reading of the book, I was made aware of some serious criticisms of Bryson's research and writing - most notably of his linguistic study in The Mother Tongue, which I have favorably reviewed - but none of these have caused me to revise my opinion of his works. All Bryson's books are relatively short looks at various subjects and I don't feel he pretentiously claims any of them to be scholarly works... This book entertained me in a way few books do and I am now alive to the need that I probably ought to check facts he cites against other, generally less readable works.
If you are demanding a cite-able authority on scientific issues, consult an appropriate scholar. If you wish to be entertained by a broad, infromative overview of a *huge* subject then read this book
C John Thompson
Book Review: A fascinating Book
Summary: 5 Stars
Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" would make a great science textbook for high school students. His delightful witty book stimulates curiosity and enthusiasm about the Earth's history via geology, chemistry, paleontology, astronomy, and particle physics. It is fascinating to learn how and when the universe and earth was formed, the composition of the universe, the reasons the Earth is suitable for life, about the miracle we call life and the results of the Earth's five major extinction periods.
Bryson's book was not only informative but helped me see the Earth and humankind's history in a new way. Some of the highlights include:
Life on Earth has been around 3.8 billion years. Of the billions of species that have existed before humankind 99.9% are extinct. The average species lasted 4 million years.
Yellowstone is America's restless supervolcano and it is due for another eruption. The power of a supervolcano is 1,000 times greater than an "ordinary" volcano as it explodes in a single mighty rupture. The explosion would be beyond the scale of anything known to humans.
Iridium deposits show that something cataclysmic happened sixty-five million years ago. Most geologists now agree that the deep crater under Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula was the impact site of the meteor that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs and effected the climate for 10,000 years.
If the dinosaurs had not been wiped out, "you might well be six inches long, with whiskers and a tail, and reading this (book) in a burrow."
The moon was created 4.5 billion years ago when an objet slammed into the Earth.
Because antibiotics don't generate wealth like other medications the Pharmaceutical Industry has not given us an entirely new antibiotic since the 1970s.
There was no summer worldwide in 1815 when the Tambara volcano in Indonesia exploded. It killed 100,000 people.
Since 1990 humankind is resposible for the extinction of 500 to 1,000 animals and plants per week.