Esse livro é um amplo e delicioso passeio pela história da ciência, em seus mais diversos ramos, cortesia de Bill Bryson e sua prosa irresistível.

Acho que é um livro que de tempos em tempos todo mundo deveria ler, para parar um pouco, deixar um pouco de lado a "correria e a estupidez do mundo moderno" (como diz o professor Renato Brolezzi), e pensar sobre a nossa condição, nosso planeta e "a vida, o universo e tudo o mais". O livro nos faz refletir sobre quão pouco sabemos a respeito disso tudo, e ao mesmo tempo sobre como é fascinante tentar descobrir e aprender um pouco mais. Pensei muito, ao longo do livro, na frase de T. H. Huxley (por sinal, ele aparece diversas vezes no livro):

“The known is finite, the unknown infinite; intellectually we stand on an islet in the midst of an illimitable ocean of inexplicability. Our business in every generation is to reclaim a little more land, to add something to the extent and the solidity of our possessions."

Bom, é um dos melhores livros de divulgação da ciência que já li. O livro já tem uma certa idade, e em ciência isso faz muita diferença, então algumas informações já estão um tanto desatualizadas. Mas acho que a ideia principal do livro é a inspiração, é o encantamento com a ciência, seu objeto, sua história e seus personagens. Gostei tanto que, quando meus filhos fizerem uns 14 anos, vou dar uma cópia para cada um, para que leiam e se maravilhem, e, quem sabe, escolham um rumo que os leve no futuro a reivindicar um pouco mais de terra para nossa ilhota de conhecimento.

*4.5 stars*

Pretty brilliant, almost required reading.

It took me over a month to listen, but the narrator is excellent and the content ranges from mildly engrossing to fascinating, depending on your areas of interest. I'd listen again and again.

If instead of the eyelids down the corners, the mouth go up, the non-fiction book rocks

Please note that I put the original German text at the end of this review. Just if you might be interested.

Being able to portray the most bone-drenched topics with so much humor, wit and charm is a masterpiece and testifies to the talent of the actual travel writer with satirical potential.
As the title says, you get an excursion across world and science history delivered, which seeks in this form unparalleled and puts the emphasis on the scientific disciplines. One has heard everything before or even an approximate idea in the back of the head, only surprisingly by the well visualizable representations, in this case, much more aspects stick than with, decorated with epochs changing pictograms, timetable diagram from the school lessons.
Much of the readability is based on Bryson's successful effort to portray, in any somewhat theoretical and difficult to understand the area, closeness to, in the broadest sense, protagonists that would have been expected in this form and quality instead in fiction. Moreover, this is his special secret ingredient, which unfortunately is so infinitely challenging to produce. Undoubtedly many ingenious, but literary average scientists and potential non-fiction authors shy away from creating their work for this reason.
Even in still unearthly earthly epics or purely theoretical explanations, Bryson manages to fill the object of contemplation with such a life that the possibilities of association and vividness arouse sympathy for flagellates, quanta and primordial soup.
Also, the fun increases along with the evolution to the preliminary result of the quirky scientist. What ingenious people have to offer in terms of creative behavioral potential in addition to their actual talent, drives on average talented and socially unobtrusive contemporaries double blush in the face. Ordinary in thought and behavior rather than eccentric and brilliant, what injustice.
Be it particular preferences, social anxiety, misanthropic tendencies, peculiar experimental arrangements or neurotic inclinations, geniuses were at all times outlandish contemporaries. Thus, the already given entertainment value potentates with the talent of the author and lead by the way by the essential points of the history of science. Theorems, theories, doctrines, anachronisms and paradigm shifts take hold, and the highlights include the clash of two equal opponents, in this case, scientists.
To what soap-naughty malice people of the mind can be capable of being astonished at given the stereotype of the laboratory-wearing loner. Moreover, with what arguments, tactics and gambles its theses underpinned and in return competing explanations of their right to exist are removed, belongs to the everlasting byproducts of research.
Where the current state of affairs does not seem as entertaining as the debates of bygone days, as one imagines in modern times. However, the current state of knowledge and the concomitant, at all times rock-solid certainty about its correctness and existence, will in future provide similar cheerfulness as the view into the supposedly primitive past.
Just the fact that so many profoundly changing inventions were made purely by chance due to unexpected results of unintentional experiments illustrates the pool of knowledge in the face of the water planet of ignorance.
The only shortcoming is the occasional misstatement of numbers. However, because quite a few scientific points and periods have shifted, reduced or increased remarkably, one can confidently turn a blind eye to this.

Wenn statt den Augenlidern nach unten die Mundwinkel nach oben gehen, rockt das Sachbuch

Mit so viel Witz, Esprit und Charme die knochentrockensten Themen darstellen zu können stellt eine Meisterleistung dar und zeugt vom Talent des eigentlichen Reiseschriftsteller mit satirischem Potential.
Wie der Titel sagt bekommt man eine Exkursion quer durch Welt- und Wissenschaftsgeschichte geliefert, die in dieser Form seinesgleichen sucht und den Schwerpunkt auf die naturwissenschaftlichen Disziplinen legt. Man hat alles schon einmal gehört oder noch eine ungefähre Vorstellung im Hinterkopf, nur erstaunlicherweise bleiben durch die gut visualisierbaren Darstellungen in diesem Fall wesentlich mehr Aspekte haften als beim, mit nach Epochen wechselnden Piktogrammen geschmückten, Zeittafeldiagramm aus dem Schulunterricht. Ein großer Teil der Lesbarkeit fußt auf der erfolgreichen Bemühung Brysons, in jedem eigentlich noch so theoretischen und schwer verständlichen Bereich eine Nähe zu den, im weitesten Sinne, Protagonisten herzustellen, die man in dieser Form und Qualität eher in der Belletristik erwartet hätte. Und das ist seine spezielle geheime Zutat, die leider so unendlich schwer herzustellen ist und sicher viele geniale, aber literarisch durchschnittliche Wissenschaftler und potentielle Sachbuchautoren davor zurückschrecken lässt, ein eigenes Werk zu kreieren.
Selbst in noch menschenleeren Erdepochen oder rein theoretischen Ausführungen gelingt es Bryson, den Gegenstand der Betrachtung derart mit Leben zu füllen, dass die Assoziationsmöglichkeiten und Anschaulichkeit regelrecht Sympathie wecken für Geißeltierchen, Quanten und Ursuppe.
Und der Spaß steigert sich mitsamt der Evolution bis zum vorläufigen Endresultat des schrulligen Wissenschaftlers. Was geniale Menschen an verhaltenskreativen Potential zusätzlich zu ihrer eigentlichen Begabung zu bieten haben, treibt durchschnittlich talentierten und sozial unauffälligen Zeitgenossen doppelte Schamesröte ins Gesicht. Normal im Denken und Verhalten statt exzentrisch und brillant, welch Ungerechtigkeit.
Seien es besondere Vorlieben, Sozialängste, misanthropische Tendenzen, eigentümliche Versuchsanordnungen oder neurotische Neigungen, Genies waren zu allen Zeiten eigentümliche Zeitgenossen. So potenziert sich der schon vorgegebene Unterhaltungswert mit dem Talent des Autors und führt so nebenbei durch die wesentlichsten Punkte der Wissenschaftsgeschichte. Theorien, Lehrmeinungen, Anachronismen und Paradigmenwechsel geben sich die Klinke in die Hand und zu den Höhepunkten gehören die Aufeinandertreffen zweier ebenbürtiger Gegner, in diesem Fall Wissenschaftler.
Zu welch seifenopernhafter Bosheit Menschen des Geistes fähig sein können verblüfft angesichts des Stereotypes vom laborkitteltragenden Einzelgänger. Und mit welch Argumenten, Taktiken und Winkelzügen die eigenen Thesen untermauert und im Gegenzug konkurrierende Erklärungsansätze ihrer Existenzberechtigung enthoben werden, gehört zu den immerwährenden Nebenerscheinungen der Forschung. Wobei der aktuelle Stand der Dinge nicht so unterhaltsam anmutet wie die Debatten vergangener Tage, da man sich in modernen Zeiten wähnt. Aber der aktuelle Wissensstand und die damit einhergehende, zu allen Zeiten felsenfeste Gewissheit über dessen Richtigkeit und Bestand, werden in Zukunft für ähnliche Heiterkeit sorgen, wie der Blick in die vermeintlich primitive Vergangenheit.
Gerade dass so viele, tiefgreifende Veränderungen mit sich bringende, Erfindungen rein zufällig aufgrund unerwarteter Ergebnisse von unbeabsichtigten Experimenten gemacht wurden, veranschaulicht den Tümpel der Erkenntnis angesichts des Wasserplanetens des Unwissens.
Als einzigen Mangel kann man gelegentlich falsche Zahlenangaben anführen. Aber unter dem Aspekt, dass sich schon etliche wissenschaftliche Sachverhalte und Zeiträume extrem verschoben, reduziert oder gesteigert haben, kann man hinsichtlich dessen getrost ein Auge zudrücken.

Дълга история разказана добре. Множество истории под едно небе.

Много добре написана научно-популярна книга, която може да се превърне и в настолна. Изяснява някои основни положения без да доскучае и за момент. Да си призная през последните 2-3 години чета много повече non-fiction и ми действа чудесно да ги редувам с fiction.

Тук започваме с астрофизика, после геология, химия, биология, таксономия и тнт, и тнт. мултидисциплинарна популярна наука. Положително отбелязвам, че съставителят не е учен, което му е дало нужната перспектива, така че да е интересно на всеки средсностатистически читател (ако такова понятие има). И освен това си личи, че е любопитен човек. Също, че е почтителен към труда на учените. Много подходящ разказвачески тон. Ако бях чел такива книги преди 20 години, много по-интересни щяха да ми се струват предмети като Физика, Химия и Биология. Сякаш нарочно се опитваме да направим скучни науки, които могат да са много интересни. Физика и химия ми бяха най-слабите предмети, а откак съм завършил - ми е много интересно да чета книги, свързани с тях. По Биология имах по една дузина шестици на срок, но пък ни караха да учим всичко като стихотворение на изуст. Сега почти нищо не помня от учебния материал. Обаче помня почти всичко прочетено в "Sapiens", книгите от Мичио Каку, Нийл деГрас Тайсън и др.

Добавям и тази книга към категорията. Да, не е от учен, като гореспоменатите, но и това си има своите предимства. Да, почти нямаше абсолютно нова за мен информация, но понякога имаме нужда просто от още един цялостен преглед. Като стил си го представете като популярната поредица "Космос" - фундаментите и историите за техните откриватели. Плюс добро чувство за хумор - уместно като количество и като тон.

Ако имате (или сте) подрастващи - хубаво е да я прочетат, както и Sapiens на Харари и останалите добри образци от популярната наука. Може да гледате с друго око на предметите в училище и дори да ви се сторят интересни. Ще ми се и съставителите на учебници също да я препоръчам. А и във времена като сегашните без директно училище - добър заместител.

A sign that a book is really, really, really gripping you is when you find yourself talking to people about it. And by ‘talking to people about it’, I don’t just mean recommending that they read it, but actually spouting out things you’ve read in its pages, developing arguments from what you’ve learnt and generally just crow-barring whole tracts of knowledge into conversations which, left to their own devices, would have happily meandered elsewhere.

Such a book is Bill Bryson’s ‘A Short History of Everything’.

For the last week or so I’ve been reading it I’ve felt a little like E.L.Wisty, talking in Peter Cook’s boring, nasal voice about this marvellous book I’ve read and how it contains all these interesting facts.

This is a book which tries, and for the most part succeeds, in making very complex areas of science meaningful to a layman such as I. So we have the creation of the universe, the vastness of space, the dawn of life, the changing environments of our planet, the development of life, various extinctions and the complex evolution of man. It’s incredibly illuminating stuff, an array of complex theories broken down and put into reach of those of us who don’t have PHDs (although I’m only slightly more au fait with quantum physics than I was before I started reading that section – but then there are quantum physicists who freely admit they don’t properly understand it.) Bryson grabs the attention by turning it almost into a history lesson of discoveries , so we have thumbnail sketches of Darwin, Halley, Einstein and other great pioneers – many of whom I’d never heard of. That combined with Bryson’s eye for the outstandingly curious, then this ends up as constantly amusing and astounding read.

Now if you’ll excuse me I’m off to bother some passers-by, I’m in possession of some facts that they might find very interesting.

موجز تاريخ كل شيء تقريباً

رغم الترجمة التي تكبو أحياناً، ورغم ما يقال بأن هناك فصل سقط في الترجمة!! إلا أن هذا كتاب عظيم بحق، عمل مبهر ولذيذ، وضع بيل برايسون هذا الكتاب للإجابة على الأسئلة العلمية التي يجهلها حول الأرض والطبيعة بشكل عام، هذه الأسئلة التي انهالت عليه وهو يحدق في البحر من نافذة طائرة، تحولت إلى رحلة ممتعة، له ولنا، فبرايسون لا يرهقنا بالحقائق العلمية كأنما هو موسوعة، وإنما يدسها لنا في حكايات متشابكة، عن العلم والعلماء في سعيهم للفهم، وبناء كل تلك العلوم من الجذاذات التي بين أيديهم، لهذا تشعر بالاهتمام والتواطؤ ومن ثم بالامتنان لكل تلك الجهود التي قام بها العلماء، ويتحول العلم بالنسبة لك من مادة ثقيلة إلى مادة حية، مشبعة بالإنسان، طموحاته وآلامه وسعيه للحقيقة والمعرفة، هذا الكتاب رحلة ممتعة، لا تفوتوها.

A Short History of Nearly Everything
If you feel you just don’t know the basics of modern science, what would you do? Well, if like most people you find textbooks mind-numbingly dull or haven’t read a science book since high school, you probably would not do what Bill Bryson did. He has taken it upon himself to basically teach himself about these subjects, and then write an entire book in an approachable and humorous style that will keep you entertained and…wait for it…actually interested in science again. It’s an ambitious project and we should be very grateful for him making the effort.

This book is a conversational primer on all the Big Topics:

1) the origin of space, time, and universe (The Big Bang)
2) the possibility of alien life in the universe and whether we will ever encounter it
3) how all the big scientific discoveries occurred in history and who made them (turns out brilliant scientists are often eccentric, frequently secretive and paranoid, have petty rivalries, and even when they do reveal their findings, are generally derided or ignored)
4) the origins of organic life, single and multi-celled
5) the proliferation of animal and plant species
6) the long process of developing sentience
7) the very contentious debate over how primates eventually evolved into Neanderthals and Homo Erectus, and where this happened first - Africa or Asia.

Separately, he also dives deep into the microscopic world, with a fascinating review of the basics of chemistry, subatomic particles, neutrons, quarks, etc. Much like Carl Sagan and Neil De Grasse Tyson, he is skilled at making big scientific concepts clearer, even if they remain extremely hypothetical and abstract, like quantum mechanics and string theory etc. This is all the more impressive as he is not a scientist like they are, and is best known for his whimsical travel books. I also discovered he had been chancellor at Durham University in England from 2005 to 2011, so he’s got a fascinating life path.

Having been a lifelong reader of SF, I myself go through periods where I feel like I really need to know more about the origins of Life, The Universe, and Everything. In the past, this meant reading a number of books on quantum physics and evolution, such as:

1) A Briefer History of Time and The Grand Design - Stephen Hawking

2) A Universe from Nothing - Lawrence Krauss

3) The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution - Richard Dawkins

4) The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal - Jared Diamond

This time, I’ve been inspired to tackle two books on quantum physics and String Theory that are notoriously difficult:

1) The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory - Brian Greene

2) Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos - Michio Kaku

Wish me luck!

Big bois. Long bois. Extra extra page bois.

Everyone's heard of them. The Libraries are full of them. But are they worth it?

Click the link for my video review of the big bois in my life.

The Written Review:Want a whirlwind worldwide romance adventure minus the romance? This is the book for you.

This book really does cover nearly everything. From the Big Bang to current life on earth, Bill Bryson does wonderful job of breaking down complex theories and concepts to their essential message:

n  Protons give an atom its identity, electrons its personality.n

Though, sometimes he gets a bit wordy.

n  Not one of your pertinent ancestors was squashed, devoured, drowned, starved, stranded, stuck fast, untimely wounded, or otherwise deflected from its life's quest of delivering a tiny charge of genetic material to the right partner at the right moment in order to perpetuate the only possible sequence of hereditary combinations that could result -- eventually, astoundingly, and all too briefly -- in you.n

This was such an interesting book to read and I walked away learning so much. This is the sort of book that requires two or three times reading through it to fully understand and digest everything. I can barely comprehend how much time and effort went into research. Truly a masterpiece.

Audiobook Comments:
While he did not narrate his own book, the Richard Matthews does a great job of reading it. Though, this is one of those books that you cannot tune out on without missing something crucial.

This is a great big-picture book. For a fun microhistory, I'd recommend  At Home: A Short History of Private Life also by Bill Bryson.


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Bryson's dead serious: this is a history of pretty much everything there is -- the planet, the solar system, the universe -- as well as a history of how we've come to know as much as we do. A book on science written by a non-scientist, this a perfect bridge between the humanities and the natural sciences. A course in the history of science should be mandatory for every teenager, and this should be the textbook.

Yes, it's a big, chunky book. No, it can't be trimmed down any further: when you're addressing cosmology, earth science, ecology and zoology, with healthy doses of chemistry and physics, plus the historical development of each, you're going to end up with a doorstop of a text, no matter how smoothly written. The wonder of Bryson's writing is that the reader doesn't get lost in these sweeping surveys. When name-dropping, Bryson always gives a short description of the person in question; if mentioned earlier in the book, he drops in a quick reminder to the reader. This is fabulously effective at giving the names some context, not to mention a little personality.

And indeed, isn't that what science education needs most: more humanity and less intimidation? Those science-phobes out there who freely admit their near-complete ignorance of the subject should do themselves a favor and buy a copy of this book. No, don't get it from your library. There's so much here you'll want to have a copy on hand to refer to later.

To those nerds in the audience -- myself included -- don't think your degrees mean you can pass this one over. As hyper-specialized as science has become, it's refreshing as hell to step back and take a look at things with new eyes. While there's not a lot here I haven't encountered before, there's a lot of information about how our current theories were developed that I didn't know.

(Also? It's heartening to read about the social ineptitude, blind spots, and how utterly incompetent many of these scientist were in other aspects of life. Makes me feel better about never finishing that PhD -- at least I have a life.)

Thorough, humorous, engaging, and educational: what's not to like?

I was 17.9 years old when I went on a first date with a PhD student, he proceeded to talk on "the effect of turbine blade cooling on jet engines" as we sat enjoying drinks in a lovely British pub. At the end of the evening when he asked me to go out with him again I paused, then decided to give him a second chance. We have been married for a long time now.........Anyway, my point is that Bill Bryson could talk on any subject & make it interesting. I confess I enjoy his books of a more personal nature that involve traveling or adapting to another culture than this one. Still, I was surprised to find myself enjoying learning something about geology and atoms, oh and genes also.

از عنوان شروع کنیم

عنوان کتاب تقریبا گویای همه‌چیز هست. نویسنده نزدیک سه سال به شکل حیرت‌آوری حجم عظیمی از کتاب‌های علمی توی رشته‌های مختلف رو خونده و به جاهای مختلف سر زده و تقریبا توی تمام شاخه‌های اصلی علم روز دنیا حداقل سی چهل صفحه‌ای نوشته

آیا این کتاب ارتباطی به ما دارد؟

خوب. این یه سوال جدی برای من بود. چون شخصا هیچ ارتباطی با کتاب‌های علمی نداشتم و ندارم. اما خیلی وسوسه‌انگیزه که کتابی رو بخونی که توش عصاره‌ی همه‌ی علوم گنجونده شده باشه. کتاب‌هایی که به این شکل وجه دایره‌المعارفی دارن این فرصت رو به خواننده‌هاشون میدن که با یه مطالعه‌ی مختصر راجع‌به این شاخه‌ها حوزه‌ی مورد علاقه‌ی خودشون رو پیدا کنن

آیا کتاب خوبی است؟

توی مرورهایی که روی کتاب نوشته شده ایرادهایی رو بهش وارد کردند. با همه‌ی این احوال قطعا تاریخچه‌ی تقریبا همه چیز کتاب خوبیه. نویسنده انسان شوخ و دوست‌داشتنی‌ای هست و سعی کرده جا به جا از اتفاق‌های جالب علمی بگه که شاید توی متون "رسمی" علمی هیچ‌وقت ازشون صحبتی به میون نمیاد [بخش‌هایی از همین تیکه‌ها رو تو استتوس‌هام می‌تونید پیدا کنید]. دیگه این‌که نویسنده یه نیم‌نگاه خیلی جدی داشته به تاریخ غیررسمی علوم مورد بحث و سعی کرده از کسایی هم اسم ببره که در اثر بی‌توجهی مردم روزگارشون یا دزدیده شدن طرح یا ایده‌شون به شهرت واقعی و درخور فعالیت‌شون نرسیدن.

دنیای دانشمندها اون‌قدرها که فکر می‌کنیم دنیای اخلاقی‌ای نبوده
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آخر کار

کتاب دوست‌داشتنی و خوش‌خونی هست با یه ترجمه‌ی خوب. هرچند که انتظار داشتم بخش مربوط به حیات موجودات زنده‌ش جذاب‌تر از این باشه. اما در کل یکی از بهترین گزینه‌ها برای یه آدم غیرمتخصص [مثل من] هست که ببینه بالای سرش، زیر پاش و توی بدنش چه دنیاهایی هست
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We're not really supposed to be here - the odds are so long.

But, now that we are "here" we're probably doomed, in all likelihood sooner than later. And we kind of deserve it.

Somehow Bryson manages to cheerfully cover those three depressing themes throughout making this is a very fun book! Hard to put down.

Thoroughly enjoyed this, what a gifted writer, and learned a tremendous amount along the way.

This will be a fun re-read many times over!