Shelfari: The Site for Books & ReadersShelfari Logo

A Short History of Nearly Everything
 

A Short History of Nearly Everything

by Bill Bryson

From primordial nothingness to this very moment, A Short History of Nearly Everything reports what happened and how humans figured it out. To accomplish this daunting literary task, Bill Bryson uses hundreds of sources, from popular science books to interviews with luminaries in various fields. His aim is to help people like him, who rejected stale school textbooks and dry explanations, to... (read more)

Top tags: science,  history,  nonfiction,  non-fiction,  physics (all tags)

Discussions

  • Sign in to post a comment on this book.

  • Judy W

    judy w said:

    “My only problem with it is it's length for YAs.”

    posted Friday, July 18 2008
  • Anne H

    anne h said:

    “this is a great easy read. easy meaning the language and writing style that moves even prickly or hard to grasp subjects along with humor. not easy on the science. it really explains a lot of stuff that you've always wanted to understand, and opens you up to concepts that you might not have been familiar with. great for the armchair scientist and proud geek.”

    posted Friday, May 30 2008
  • Jen M

    jen m said:

    “The book is great... it steers my fascination for science, history and more. I think it's a total must read for any science junky or anyone who craves knowledge.”

    posted Monday, May 26 2008
  • S C

    s c said:

    “LOVELOVELOVELOVE this book.”

    posted Monday, May 5 2008
  • Billy A. Yonce

    billy a. yonce said:

    “This was a fantastic book. I read it back in 2003 when it came out, and I still love it. I would definitely recommend checking out the "special illustrated edition" though. It puts actual photographs with the various things discussed, it is very helpful in understanding things most of us have never seen before.”

    posted Saturday, April 26 2008
  • Marla L

    marla l said:

    “Phew! What a book! And I loved every page of it. Who else but Bill Bryson could describe carbon as "the shamelessly promiscuous...party animal of the atomic world, latching on to many other atoms (including itself) and holding tight, forming molecular conga lines of heart robustness--" Imagine if Bill Bryson were writing high school and college science text books. Injecting humor and amusing anecdotes to keep the student engaged while learning about physics, chemistry and biology. I know I would have enjoyed those science classes a lot more.”

    posted Monday, March 10 2008
  • bulent k

    bulent k said:

    “We can go into the science world qucikly and easily by this book. After having read, you can go on deeper in science with the help of given resources. For the beginning it is a must.”

    posted Tuesday, February 12 2008
  • Al B

    al b said:

    “Good place to start. A good travel writer makes science interesting. Then move on to Simon Winchester and "the Map that Changed the World" to get an indepth view of a scientist.”

    posted Saturday, October 20 2007
  • Read'em

    read'em said:

    “The title says it all. From Paleotology to Chemistry, Bryson gives us a concise and always entertaining history. My favorite anecdote involved the forces that compelled Issac Newton to write "Principia." Hint -- it was a wager. ”

    posted Friday, October 19 2007
  • Deltasky

    deltasky said:

    “I have not read this book of Brysons but am a fan of his. Read his book about Australia England and the USA, Here is a question I wonder if it came up in the book.It is something that is driving my huband crazy. How Who where did Chickens come from?It may sound a silly question but not if you think about it.”

    posted Tuesday, October 16 2007
 1  2  Next 

Displaying 1-10 of 20 discussions

© 2008 Tastemakers, Inc. | Portions of Shelfari.com are Copyright © 1996-2008 Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy