A Short History of Nearly Everything

By: Bill Bryson

Narrated by: Richard Matthews

Length: 18 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the world’s most beloved and best-selling writers takes his ultimate journey - into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer.

In a Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson trekked the Appalachian Trail - well, most of it. In In A Sunburned Country, he confronted some of the most lethal wildlife Australia has to offer. Now, in his biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand - and, if possible, answer - the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us.

To that end, he has attached himself to a host of the world’s most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians, travelling to their offices, laboratories, and field camps. He has read (or tried to read) their books, pestered them with questions, apprenticed himself to their powerful minds.

A Short History of Nearly Everything is the record of this quest, and it is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it. Science has never been more involving or entertaining.

©2003 Bill Bryson (P)2003 Books on Tape, Inc. Published by Arrangement with Random House Audio Publishing Group, A Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Not to be missed." (AudioFile)
"Destined to become a modern classic of science writing." (The New York Times Book Review)

the best!

The best! That is all. Hoping he comes out with another book with any recent information from last 20 years. Still totally relevant, engaging, uplifting and saddening all at once.

The best writing AND the best narrator

I loved it. I tried to think of a more literary way to express how I feel about this book, but I cannot. I just loved it. It is a wonderful book.. Bill Bryson has a way of making the mundane fascinating and the fascinating even more captivating. The narrator, Richard Matthews, has impeccable timing which keeps everyone of my atoms wanting more. This is not only a must read, it is a must listen!

A LONG SURVEY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING WE DON'T KNOW

GREAT COVERAGE OF THE SCIENCE PORTIONS OF MY FRESHMAN AND SOPHOMORE YEARS AT UNIVERSITY, WITH A LARGE DASH OF RELIGION/ FAITH, SEEMINGLYJUST TO IRK ME ENOUGH TO "RE-ATTEND" COLLEGE BY LISTENING TO THIS BOOK 3X (NEARLY TUITION-FREE!!!), 20 YRS AFTER ACING THE COURSES.

THIS BOOK IS NOT *OVERLY* BORING TO ME, BUT IS LIKELY THE CURE FOR INSOMNIA FOR MOST AND IS REPRESENTATIVE OF WHAT "TRUE SCIENCE" IS, BY RAISING MORE QUESTIONS THAN ARE ANSWERED. (I.E.: "HOW DO WE KNOW 'THE BIG BANG OCURRED?'" ANSWER: "GRAVITY." THOUGHTS: "UMMM.....WHAAAAAAAAAT??!!??")

THIS TITLE, CONTAINING AN ODD CONGLOMERATION OF MANY SLIGHTLY DISCONNECTED THOUGHTS, IS MUCH CHEAPER THAN TUITION FOR THE FOLLOWING COURSES GEOLOGY 101 -INTRO TO EARTH SCIENCES, BIOLOGY 210 and 220 (WITH LABS), CHEMISTRY 202 AND 212 (WITH LABS), GEOLOGY 212, GEOGRAPHY 101, OCEANOGRAPHY 410, METEOROLOGY 425, MATH 224 - STATISTICS, MATH 240 - INTRO TO ANALYTICAL GEOMETRY, PHYICS 101 - "PHYSICS FOR FOOLS," PHYSICS 120 AND 220 (WITH LABS), ASTRONOMY 440 AND COSMOLOGY 420,

NARRATION IS OK, BUT NARRATOR'S CADENCE/ SPEECH PATTERNS ARE HURRIED TOWARD THE END OF EACH SECTION, AND SOUNDS NOTICEABLY DIFFERENT WHEN HE PICKS UP READING AGAIN,

OVERALL: NEARLY 4 STARS, GREAT ALTERNATIVE TO SLEEP MEDS, 4 STARS FOR VALUE - USED A CREDIT, HOWEVER I WOULD NOT PAY FOR THIS BOOK.

Must read for science lovers

Although I believe this book is a must read for everyone, due to the large amount of information discussed, it is not what I expected. Set aside the obvious outdated information (which makes sense ofcourse), the book does not share a lot of 'new' insights into the ways of science. For one who is already interested in the natural fields, this book will share nothing new, while the language used will be too much for someone who is just wanting to learn about the world. This makes the book, although very interesting, not accessible to the general public and is, therefore, in my opinion, mostly written to preach to the choir.

Nevertheless, if that was the purpose, to create a 'short' overview for people with a background or general knowledge of science, then Bill Bryson did an amazing job.

Loved it!!!

I don’t usually write reviews, but this book and the narrator are phenomenal! If Winnie the Pooh was incredibly intelligent and educated and then chose to lecture on the short history of nearly everything, you would get something like this book.
Entertaining, fun, and informative!
Definitely will listen again!

WHAT YOU NOW KNOW

This book covers so many different topics many of which you have no doubt accumulated a little bit of knowledge. This text acknowledge and put it in rational context so that even you can discuss some rather complex and you are intriguing bits

Excellent

Probably the most enlightening book I have ever listen to. It is light on details but give enough to engage listener. I will definitely listen to this book again and recommend it to others.

Listen to it!

If you like some good information about everything from the beginning of Earth's history up to modern history then you will like this one.

The story of "us" told with wonder and humor

Would you listen to A Short History of Nearly Everything again? Why?

Yes, most definitely. There's a lot of information to absorb so listening to this book multiple times is advised. Richard Matthews did an excellent job with the narration: reverent and well-paced with a very nice emphasis on the humorous bits.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gideon Mantell, poor guy.

Which scene was your favorite?

The whole book was great. There were no "scenes," per se.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It often made me stop in amazement about a fact I had just heard.

Any additional comments?

It's a great book to read in bits and pieces as there isn't a continuous story, as you might find in a novel. I really enjoyed the book and will listen to it again.

Third listen

I listen to the book once a year and learn something new each time! I like his other books, but this is my favorite.