A Short History of Nearly Everything

By: Bill Bryson

Narrated by: William Roberts

Length: 18 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

A Short History of Nearly Everything is Bill Bryson's quest to understand everything that has happened from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization. He takes subjects that normally bore the pants off most of us, like geology, chemistry, and particle physics, and aims to render them comprehensible to people who have never thought they could be interested in science. In the company of some extraordinary scientists, Bill Bryson reveals the world in a way most of us have never seen it before.

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

Critic reviews

"To read Bryson is to travel with a memoirist gifted with wry observation and keen insight that shed new light on things we mistake for commonplace. To accompany the author as he travels with the likes of Charles Darwin on the Beagle, Albert Einstein or Isaac Newton is a trip worth taking." (Publishers Weekly)
"Stylish [and] stunningly accurate prose....Brims with strange and amazing facts...destined to become a modern classic of science writing." (The New York Times)

Extremely engaging and comprehensive.

I loved the attempt to bring together into several strands a single narrative. It works well and convincingly to convey specialized concepts in accessible language. The only issue is with some if the accents which the narrator didn't convincingly pull off.

Fascinating and Enduring

We've listened to this several times. It's more about the scientists than the science, but that human element keeps it consistently accessible. And Bryson does a great job of making complex subjects understandable, while also allowing listeners to relate to the various concepts through some clever metaphors. And the narrator is absolutely fantastic. He could probably make a grocery list sound pretty engaging. Of course, this is better than a grocery list. Highly recommended.

One of the finest books ever. Highly recommended!

Loved the way it is written and the narrator did a fantastic job at it!

A good summary of what we know and what we don't.

Any student new to science should read this. It tells you in rough outlines what we know, and how we got to it. Most importantly, it tells us what we don't know, and in a entertaining manner, how little we should trust some of what has been fed to us as fact. On the other hand, it gives you a good history of academia, and it can serve as an inspiration to new scientist to regard their work with the appropriate humility and fervour as not to make a fool of oneself, but to serve humanity through their work.

impressive

It really is a summary of almost everything. I now know things I would never had sort out for.

A short history of long events

William Roberts really compliments a Bill Bryson book. and again this book was engaging and enjoyable at so many levels.

Absolutely brilliant read

Dip in dip out book forever! I am on my third reread. I can highly recommend to anyone interested in the human condition

It really is a short story of nearly everything.

I love this book,and i love the narrator William Roberts :o)

A great listen for curious minds

If you're the kind of person who is curious, nay, fascinated by nearly everything, you'll want to give this a listen.

Torn on this one...

I will first admit that I really like Bill Bryson and own all of his books - even "Palace Under the Alps". With that in mind, it won't be a surpise when I tell you "A Short History" is something pretty magical - it's helped to open my eyes to much in the world around me.

So why am I torn? Normally I detest Abridged books - I like books I can get deeply involved in and enjoy over a period of time. However, as with his other books, Bryson himself reads only the Abridged version of "A Short History" - and if you haven't heard him read his own material - well you really should. His droll, dry wit is best delivered by his own tounge.

So, my solution was to acquire both versions of "A Short History" and I've enjoyed both - but I leave the Bryson read Abridged version in my car and listen to it from time to time - I don't see myself doing the same with the Unabridged version.