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A Short History of Nearly Everything
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
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Publisher's Summary
A Short History of Nearly Everything is Bill Bryson’s quest to find out everything that has happened from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization - how we got from there, being nothing at all, to here, being us. His challenge is to take subjects that normally bore the pants off most of us and see if there isn't some way to render them comprehensible to people who have never thought they could be interested in science.
It's not so much about what we know, as about how we know what we know. How do we know what is in the centre of the Earth, or what a black hole is, or where the continents were 600 million years ago? How did anyone ever figure these things out?
On his travels through time and space, Bill Bryson takes us with him on the ultimate eye-opening journey and reveals the world in a way most of us have never seen it before.
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What listeners say about A Short History of Nearly Everything
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- Joanne Mitchell
- 29-09-2017
Captivating from start to finish
Thank you Bill for making my morning and evening commutes to and from work so interesting and informative. Loved reading this book many years ago and now enjoyed listening to it again.
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- zenihama
- 02-10-2017
Educational and awe-inspiring
Bill Bryson has gathered an astonishing amount of information for this "short history". He has then managed the remarkable feat of presenting it in a way that is readily accessible to a general audience.
It was a pleasure to listen to it and be reminded of how much we know as well as how much we don't know about (to quote Douglas Adams) "Life, The Universe and Everything".
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2 people found this helpful
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- MRW
- 16-03-2017
Get it
As entertaining and informative Carl Sagan/Neil Degrasse Tyson's cosmos in audio form. If i could have one person narrate the rest of my life to me, it would very much be bill.
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- Sam
- 09-05-2016
Generalist Overview of Nearly Everything
The book is extremely well written and quite well narrated. Covers off on the major scientific spheres, and the current understanding of the earth, it's natural processes, and the history of the cosmos. Avoids the cultural, political and religious spheres in the main, but overall a comprehensive look in an understandable manner of the current scientific knowledge and the major leaps and bounds along the way. Thoroughly enjoyable to listen to.
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Overall
- jb_phoenix
- 25-01-2023
nice
loved it easy to follow and listen to. covered all subjects and well researched
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- Jakob
- 01-06-2021
very interesting
couldn't put it down, if you like science, history and are generally curious this is a must.
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- James
- 12-04-2015
Amazing amalgamation of the history of science
Bill Bryson wonderfully creates (and narrates) an engaging recount of the history of science, including its overwhelming triumphs and also controversies and falsehoods.
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- Anonymous User
- 19-02-2019
Solid
A good book to listen to here and there. It can be resumed whenever you have the time and is simple to follow. The book gives a great insight into how we got to where we are today.
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- John
- 18-05-2018
Superb!
Fascinating from start to finish. Beautifully read by the author. Sublimely uplifting and thought provoking.
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- Anonymous User
- 06-10-2020
Spectacular
Being able to laugh through a book about the sciences’ many forms since the beginning of science and beyond was something I only thought possible if I were laughing at myself for lack of understanding. This is both brilliantly written and narrated. Engaging, informative, well researched and witty. In awe and humility, I give this eye opener a score of 11/10. Absolute pleasure.
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