A Short History of Nearly Everything
Average Rating
One of the world’s most beloved and bestselling writers takes his ultimate journey -- into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer. Read by the author this is another outstanding book.
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.
Non-Fiction
Comedy
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Most recent 5 reviews out of 89
Submitted by Anonymous
Bill Bryson makes science fun to listen to! I would recommend this to anyone with an interest more in science than history.
Submitted by Steven Hansen
some interesting slants--some facts I didn't know. My biggest problem was B.B's voice. I don't mean to be unkind; the voice was rather off-putting. He surely doesn't sound like the Iowa boy his childhood biography says he is. Next time Bill, please don't go on the stage yourself: hire an actor.
Submitted by Mary Richards in Janesville,
Bill Bryson is one of my very favorite authors. I especially love his audiobooks, since he is almost always the one narrating them, and that, for me, adds to his humor. This book was great, and definitely not a letdown. But at only 6 hours or so, I think he could made it a slightly longer history of nearly everything. Maybe we'll get a Part 2 someday?
Submitted by Nacheska Gentry-Combs
Hmmm...I never understood half of what I might have learned in Science until now. This man even made geology sound interesting. I think this is a fascinating book if even to glean more scientific data about how we work as humans and how our world exists...still does not answer why. I was happy I had rented it.
Submitted by Anonymous in Philadelphia,
This book focused on major scientific discoveries from the beginning of time to present day. Included areas of discussion were Astronomy, Biology, Geology, Anthropology, Physics, and Chemistry. Many major players in these fields were referenced with their pertinent discoveries. The author, Bill Bryson, did an excellent job reading his own book and I enjoyed all that he had to say(write). The book accomplished its goal of a brief history and left me with many questions to answer on my own.
Definitely rent this audiobook!
Genres 
Biographies
