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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
Entertaining and informative, this book was enjoyable to listen to. I picked away at it over several months since it could get a little dry if I listened for too long a stretch. It served as a good introduction to a lot of scientific topics I was not terribly familiar with and Bryson's profiles of historical figures were well done and often humorous. I particularly liked his analogies for scale, time, and the like and the audio book really helped drive home just how amazing our planet is.
informative
fast-paced
Bill Bryson is a fantastic writer, and this book is definitely my favorite of his books that I've read. 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' is just an insanely funny history of science. I've read it so many times that my copy is held together only by duct tape and a very fragile spine.
It was nothing new to me, so I couldn't really get into it. The author, even in the condensed version, when into details of how the history was discovered instead of simply giving the history. That is, it's the history of the history instead of simply being the history.
Having read this to attempt to hammer some scientific knowledge intomy brain I have once again realised how much I don't know. However Bryson is a very jolly guide for a trip through the history of science. He is a fine storyeller, and painter of pen portraits - he does this better then explaining some of the science. However, mostly it leaves you in awe of the scientific minds that have gone, even without a great grasp of the actual science.
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
A quick and effortless read. He draws you in with quirky stories of long-dead scientists while still managing to impart a surprising amount of general knowledge. I loved learning about how Newton shoved a knitting needle into his eye to establish the physical nature of sight, and how 18th century geologists were like a pack of bickering school children. It's been 11 or so years now, but I remember that I was very influenced by his and Simon Singh's writing styles when I created my own works.
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
If you are reading this book in 2025, you’ll notice that some of the content is out of date. Most topics are still accurate and described in a very entertaining and informative manner. I felt inspired to read more modern sources of the topics described, so I would still recommend this book as a thoughtful introduction to science writing.
I first read this book when I was in primary school. My dad bought me a copy of it on tape and I was enthralled. I really appreciate that Bill Bryson makes difficult concepts accessible to an audience that otherwise might struggle to read about them.
While I didn't end up pursuing a STEM career, this book encouraged my love of science and desire to understand the world. It's definitely not written for children, but I think kids who already read widely could happily access it.
While I didn't end up pursuing a STEM career, this book encouraged my love of science and desire to understand the world. It's definitely not written for children, but I think kids who already read widely could happily access it.