A Short History of Nearly Everything

By: Bill Bryson

Narrated by: Bill Bryson

Length: 5 hrs and 47 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, traveling 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 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

"Destined to become a modern classic of science writing." (The New York Times Book Review)

Lucky to be Alive

I've listened to this one twice now, first with my husband and then my 17 year old son during two different vacation drives, and I could easily listen to it a third time. Bryson knows how to make science not only interesting but fun. His voice is soft and soothing, but the content is interesting enough that I didn't feel like nodding off. Plus, after listening to him discuss the sheer improbability of my existence and good fortune for having thus far avoided a catastrophic comet crash or Yellowstone explosion, I am feeling quite lucky today to even be able to write this review!

My favorite Audiobook of all time.

Where does A Short History of Nearly Everything rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The best. Gripping and continually interesting. I have re-listened to this more than any other audiobook. Although I have enjoyed the unabridged version, I find listening to the author's own sense of pacing and emphasis to be very compelling.

What other book might you compare A Short History of Nearly Everything to and why?

It is almost like a mini-Cosmos, although covering many areas of Science, not just Astronomy.

Have you listened to any of Bill Bryson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Another very good one is perhaps his most famous: "A Walk in the Woods". As of this writing, I have also enjoyed "The Mother Tongue", "Thunderbolt Kid", "Notes from a Small Island", and the only disappointing one: "Lost Continent". Typically, Bryson reads the Abridged version, whilst professional readers perform the Unabridged.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommended.

Worth Every Minute

The average human only lives 650,000 hours. Don't let any more time go by without listening to this book! Maybe it seems a little crazy but knowing a bit about everything is really amazing and Bryson takes us in story format from the beginning to the end. I often find myself listening to: A Short History of Nearly Everything when I just want to unwind. No matter how many times I have heard it I swear I learn something new.

Everyone should listen or read this book.

Revealing how much we have learned but yet how little we really know. Truly amazing

incredible and wonderful!

a six credit course in history anthropology and a great deal else made even better by Bill Bryson narrating his own words

Bryson once again

I've listened to and enjoyed all of Bill Bryson's audio books, which is the reason that I chose this one even though it isn't travel related (unless you consider it a travel through time). At first I didn't think I was going to finish it, struggled through the first hour or so, but it picked up as more of the author's usual wit came through and topics became more tangible for me. After that point, I didn't want to stop listening, and in fact have relistened to many chapters a few times. It takes Bill Bryson to make such dry subjects interesting, and here he succeeds once again.

Bill Bryson never disappoints. A page turner.

Where does A Short History of Nearly Everything rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Being familiar with Bill, I was drawn to this book altho I knew nothing about. A great read.

Any additional comments?

A great learning experience. I wonder who the great minds of today are and are they talking with one another

Much Better than the Abridged Version

see the title. Bill Bryson has a knack for spoken word, unlike whomever does the unabridged version.

Can't get enough

The most worthwhile five plus hours I've ever invested. Was immediately motivated to get the unabridged which is what I should have done in the first place.

Wonderful to Listen to

I enjoy reading light scientific books, and this one is a great one. This book takes each of several scientific subjects from their beginnings to the latest discoveries and theories, giving an interesting overview of that science. Each subject is presented in a clear and precise way, and the knowledge is put into perspective with clarifying analogies and fresh new ways of looking at complex subjects. NOW I finally understand what quantum physics is about.

I highly recommend this book. I couldn't stop listening to it. I only wish that it was not an abridged version. I'd like to hear more.