A Short History of Nearly Everything

Infobox Book
name = A Short History of Nearly Everything


author = Bill Bryson
publisher = Black Swan (UK);Broadway Books (US)
language = English
genre = Non-fiction
release_date = 2003
media_type = Print (Hardcover, Paperback)
isbn = 0-7679-0817-1

"A Short History of Nearly Everything" (ISBN 0-7679-0817-1) is a general science book by Bill Bryson, which explains some areas of science in ordinary language. It was the bestselling popular science book of 2005 in the UK, selling over 300,000 copies. [cite journal |title=How to... Make a Mint From Science |month=July | year=2006 |author=Staff of BBC Focus |publisher=BBC Focus |pages=54]

"A Short History" deviates from Bryson's popular travel book genre, instead describing general sciences such as chemistry, paleontology, astronomy, and particle physics. In it, he explores time from the Big Bang to the discovery of quantum mechanics, via evolution and geology.

Bryson tells the story of science through the stories of the people who made the discoveries, such as Edwin Hubble, Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein.

Background

Bill Bryson wrote this book because he was dissatisfied with his scientific knowledge — that was, not much at all. He writes that science was a distant, unexplained subject at school. Textbooks and teachers alike did not ignite the passion for knowledge in him, mainly because they never delved in the "whys", "hows", and "whens".

quotation|It was as if [the textbook writer] wanted to keep the good stuff secret by making all of it soberly unfathomable.|Bryson, on the state of science books used within his school [cite book
last=Bryson |first=Bill |year=2003 |title=A Short History of Nearly Everything |publisher=Broadway Books |location=USA |id=ISBN 0-7679-0817-1
authorlink=Bill Bryson]

It was in his later years that he realized with stunning shame that he was ignorant about many things that he wanted to understand. Thus from his own life experience, Bryson discusses topics from an angle involving simple explanations, funny dialogue, interesting facts, and much more.

Contents

Bryson describes graphically and in layman's terms the size of the universe, and that of atoms and subatomic particles. He then explores the history of geology and biology, and traces life from its first appearance to today's modern humans, placing emphasis on the development of the modern "Homo sapiens". Furthermore, he discusses the possibility of the Earth being struck by a meteor, and reflects on human capabilities of spotting a meteor before it impacts the Earth, and the extensive damage that such an event would cause. He also focuses on some of the most recent destructive disasters of volcanic origin in the history of our planet, including Krakatoa and Yellowstone National Park. A large part of the book is devoted to relating humorous stories about the scientists behind the research and discoveries and their sometimes eccentric behaviours. Bryson also speaks about modern scientific views on human effects on the Earth's climate and livelihood of other species, and the magnitude of natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and the mass extinctions caused by some of these events.

An illustrated edition of the book was released in November 2005. [cite book | id=ISBN 0-7679-2322-7 | publisher=Broadway Books | title=A Short History of Nearly Everything: Special Illustrated Edition | last=Bryson | first=Bill | authorlink=Bill Bryson]

Awards and reviews

The book received many favourable reviews on its release, although some reviewers have suggested the book contains more than a few errors, such as where Bryson discusses the number of cells in the human body. [http://errata.wikidot.com/0767908171]

In 2004, this book won Bryson the prestigious Aventis Prize for best general science book. [cite_news
first=Jonathan | last=Amos | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3806375.stm | title=Bryson wins £10,000 science prize
publisher=BBC News | accessdate=2006-03-15 | date=June 14, 2004] Bryson later donated the GBP£10,000 prize to the Great Ormond Street Hospital children's charity. [cite_news
first=Sarah
last=Crown
url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/aventisprize2004/story/0,,1286633,00.html
title=Bryson gives away Aventis winnings
date=June 22, 2004
publisher=The Guardian]

In 2004, the book won the EU Descartes prize for science communication. [cite_news
first=Michelle
last=Pauli
title=Bryson wins Descartes prize for his guide to science
date=December 7, 2005
publisher=The Guardian
url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,1661219,00.html]

See also

* [http://errata.wikidot.com/0767908171 Errata (i.e. a list of errors) for "A Short History of Nearly Everything"]
* Big History

References

External links

* [http://web.archive.org/web/20070304010657/http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/page.asp?tip=1&id=3581 Bill Bryson - A short history of nearly everything presentation] at the Royal Society
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/openbook/openbook_20040620.shtml Interview with Mariella Frostrup (BBC Radio 4)]