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A Short History of Nearly Everything

The bestselling popular science book of the 21st Century

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A Short History of Nearly Everything

By: Bill Bryson
Narrated by: Bill Bryson
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.


Featuring a special introduction written for the audiobook edition and read by the author

A Radio 4 Book Club Selection.

The ultimate eye-opening journey through time and space, A Short History of Nearly Everything is the biggest-selling popular science book of the 21st century and has sold over 2 million copies.

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 civilization - how we got from there, being nothing at all, to here, being us.

Bill Bryson's challenge is to take subjects that normally bore the pants off most of us, like geology, chemistry and particle physics, and see if there isn't some way to render them comprehensible to people who have never thought they could be interested in science. As a result, A Short History of Nearly Everything reveals the world in a way most of us have never seen it before.

'Possibly the best scientific primer ever published.' Economist

'Truly impressive...It's hard to imagine a better rough guide to science.' Guardian

'A travelogue of science, with a witty, engaging, and well-informed guide' The Times


©2003 Bill Bryson (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

 Earth Sciences History History & Philosophy Physics Science Thought-Provoking Natural History Cosmology Black Hole
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Critic Reviews

Possibly the best scientific primer ever published.
'A travelogue of science, with a witty, engaging, and well-informed guide who loves his patch and is desperate to share its delights with us' (Peter Atkins)
'A thoroughly enjoyable, as well as educational, experience. Nobody who reads it will ever look at the world around them in the same way again' (William Hartston)
'Brims with strange and amazing facts...destined to become a modern classic of science writing' (Ed Regis)
'It deserves to sell as many copies as there are protons in the full stop that ends this review (at least 500,000,000,000).' (Craig Brown)
'The very book I have been looking for most of my life...Trunkloads of information, amazing stories and extraordinary personalities' (Christopher Matthew)
'The amount of ground covered is truly impressive...it's hard to imagine a better rough guide to science' (John Waller)
All stars
Most relevant
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.

Captivating from start to finish

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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".

Educational and awe-inspiring

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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.

Get it

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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.

Generalist Overview of Nearly Everything

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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.

Spectacular

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