A Short History of Nearly Everything (ISBN
0767908171) is a general science book by
Bill
Bryson, which explains some areas of science in ordinary language.
A Short History deviates from Bryson's popular travel book genre,
instead describing general sciences such as
chemistry,
palaeontology,
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. He writes:
- It was as if [the textbook writer] wanted to keep the good stuff secret
by making all of it soberly unfathomable.[1]
It was in his later years that he realised with stunning shame that he was
ignorant about many things and that he wanted to understand. Thus from his own
life experience, Bryson discusses topics from a unique angle unseen in most
science books: simple explanations, funny dialogue, interesting facts, and much
more.
Contents
Bryson describes very graphically
how big the universe is, and how small
atoms and
subatomic particles are. Furthermore, he reports on the likeliness of the
earth being struck by a
meteor, how
unlikely it is that humans will spot a meteor before it
impacts
the Earth, and the extensive damage that such an event would cause. He also
explores the history of
biology,
botany, and
zoology, and
traces life from its first appearance all the way to today's modern humans,
placing much emphasis on the development of the modern
Homo
sapiens. Throughout the book, there are many reports on the way humans
destroy the earth (both its climate and its species) as well as how the earth is
a very destructive planet itself, briefly touching about earthquakes, volcanoes,
tsunamis, hurricanes, and mass extinctions. His tendency to look for big
explosions and awe-inspiring devastation takes him to the most destructive
disasters in the world, from
Krakatoa to
Yellowstone National Park.
Bryson ends the book by noting how many extinctions humans are responsible
for, and how lucky mankind is to be living on planet
Earth today.
Awards and reviews
The book received many favourable reviews on its release, although some
reviewers have suggested the book contains a few inaccuracies, such as where
Bryson discusses the number of cells in the human body.[2]
In 2004, this
book won Bryson the prestigious
Aventis Prize for best general science book.[3]
Bryson later donated the £10,000 prize to the
Great Ormond Street Hospital children's charity.
[4]
In 2005, the
book won the EU
Descartes prize for science communication.
[5]
