That was an Encyclopedia not a book!

Bryson has taken us in a journey from "Cosmos" till we reached our Planet "Earth", then went into micro-details of almost all beings ..till he ended with us: Humans!!

I'm thrilled by his knowledge & all the scientific facts & theories in this book. The only weak point would be the prolonged, unnecessary details sometimes ..

Something is very wrong with the world when this book is not required reading for high schoolers!

If we'd had this back when I was in high school, who knows what I would've done with my life! It certainly would have made things a lot less dreary.

It's just one of those books where you know, upon reading the very first page, that you're getting into something incredible !

I'm only 28 pages in and I'm already squirming in my seat with nerdy excitement.

This won't be the last of Bryson's books that I pick up, either.

All I have to say is I'm glad I finally finished this book. It took me forever.

It seems unfair to give it two stars because it is well researched and impressively put together - - but three stars would mean "I liked it", and I really can't say I did. I tolerated it. I appreciated the educational value of it. But liked it? Unfortunately no.

The good news though is that in the progression from physics to biology to anthropology, it became increasingly interesting to me, and you could tell that Bryson also had a better grasp on the subject matter. The anthropology section was interesting enough that it makes me want to read a book on that subject alone. I recall touching upon the development of man in school, but clearly the details were lacking. I had no idea there were so many competing theories.

All in all, for the right reader, I can see why this book is beloved. It delivers on the promise of its title. It just seemed to focus too much on the people involved for my taste and really didn't quite explain the science well enough for me to truly grasp it.

I muscled through.

If you like science and geology and astronomy and all those other boring (to me) subjects, you'll be mesmerized. But those were never my thing so I had the speed turned up pretty high on the audio just to get to the end. It was pretty dense, and I'm no less dense now for muddling through it.

Breve storia di quasi tutto è, di fatto, il riassunto di tutto in poco più di 500 pagine. E per tutto, si intende tutto: Big bang, stelle, pianeti, terra, mare, acqua, fuoco, atomi, cellule,DNA…tutto. Cioè, almeno fino al 2003, anno in cui è stato pubblicato. Eh sì, manca New Horizons che saluta Plutone e la foto del buco nero, ma son dettagli.

Ci sono degli errori, è vero, ma chi se ne lamenta non ha letto la parte in cui l’autore stesso lo ammette, in fondo è impossibile conoscere e approfondire “tutto”! Si è avvalso di molti studiosi che gli hanno permesso di fare “solo” quei pochi errori che chi è ferrato su un dato argomento, sicuramente noterà.

Ma non è questo il punto.

Il punto è il modo in cui racconta questa Storia di quasi tutto, con ironia, e soprattutto con chiarezza, semplificando al massimo concetti davvero (davvero!) complessi, rendendoli accessibili anche a chi non ha mai avuto a che fare con la scienza. Con qualsiasi tipo di scienza.

E’ chiaro, non è certo un testo con ambizioni scientifiche, anzi, lo dichiara proprio che cercherà di metterci meno matematica ( e numeri) possibile, è solo un breve riassunto in fondo, mica un saggio universitario! Se vi piace la scienza, studiatela, approfonditela, questo libro non è nato per questo, Breve storia di quasi tutto è per chi non ci ha mai capito niente o è sempre stato spaventato da cose strane come leggi fisiche o formule matematiche ma ha sempre avuto la curiosità di sapere “com’è andata per davvero”.

E’ più un racconto di scoperte e degli scienziati che le hanno rese possibili in realtà, che pone l’attenzione sulla personalità degli studiosi stessi e su quanto noi siamo del tutto fuoristrada quando riconosciamo nello scienziato la figura del nerd buono, ingenuo, con il naso in mezzo ai libri e mosso dal solo e puro amore per scienza. Non è così, anche gli scienziati sono uomini, e spesso, sono brutte persone, strane, vendicative e rancorose che non esitano ad affossare i propri colleghi per arrivare primi a una scoperta.
Uno tra tutti il Signor Watson ( vabbè , qui non è Bryson che ne parla, sono io che ce l’ho a morte con lui).

Alcuni aneddoti hanno un certo non so che di tragicomico surrealismo ed e è impossibile non sorridere orripilati pensando a certe scene, e ammetto, questo suo modo di raccontare le cose “in simpatia” è uno dei tratti che apprezzo di più nello scrittore.

E niente, l’ho amato. Andate in libreria e iniziate a leggere l’introduzione, sarà amore anche per voi ( oppure odio, eh).

La mia edizione è stata stampata “col sole” perciò, anche se hanno abbattuto alberi per ottenere la carta, almeno mi consola sapere che nessuna centrale di carbone ha contribuito ad intasare i polmoni di nessuno per produrla.

This is a jocular and interesting history of science, from the beginnings of the universe to our impending extinction. It was my first Bill Bryson and I found his lively style engaging as he explores, not just the answers to the questions themselves, but the personalities involved and how they arrived at our current understanding.

I would suggest this as an excellent place to begin if you have an interest in the bigger questions.

I found it dizzying and challenging too. The limits of the known universe, the spacetime continuum, the sheer luck involved in us even being here to ask the questions... When I was younger, I actively sought out discussion of these philosophical mysteries... now it brings on the existential dread!

A really interesting book. Bryson succeeds in explaining some complex topics in such a way that they can be understood by the layman. I enjoyed this one a great deal. If I had one complaint it would be that some of the tangents were allowed to run on a bit too long, to the point where I almost forgot what the author was talking about in the first place.

Third review, March 5, 2019.

Has it really been nearly 9 years since I re-read this? No. But I guess it has. A Short History of Nearly Everything is one of those formative books that has stuck with me for a long, long time.

I have little to add to this review. I thought I had lots to say, but re-reading my review from 2010 below … I already said it there. I was going to talk about Bryson’s repetitive phrasing, praise how he explains how much we don’t know, and remark on how good this book is at just … luxuriating in the knowledge we have.

I will add that I think this book, by and large, holds up even 15 years on. Our scientific knowledge certainly has advanced since then. Some of the mysteries that Bryson mentions here have been solved—while others have deepened. Moreover, reading this now with a more critical eye than I did in 2010, I’ll acknowledge there’s a pinch of Western gaze going on here. At one point, in the last chapter, Bryson comments how it was such a shame that the Chinese were grinding up bones for medicines instead of studying the bones to learn more about our past. Hello, casual racism. It might seem like I’m nitpicking now, especially considering how Bryson wryly highlights the racism and sexism of our past, but that’s exactly why I don’t want to let him slide on something like that.

That being said, for the most part this book remains just so damn energizing. It inspires me to think big, to think about and marvel at the incredible world we inhabit. I honestly haven’t craved any of Bryson’s other works—I liked one, didn’t like the other, and have a few more on my to-read list but can’t be bothered to jump on them. But there’s something about the way he writes about this stuff, about this history of science, that just works for me. If it doesn’t work for you, I get it, this book will be a bit plodding and boring. But if it works for you … oh, wow, will it ever work for you.

Read Ben from 2010’s opinions to find out why!

Second reading review, May 7, 2010.

I cannot recommend this book enough. No word of hyperbole: this is a book that everyone should read. Bill Bryson takes the span of human existence and produced a popular history of science that's both accurate and moving. A Short History of Nearly Everything is a celebration of science, but it also evokes the sense of wonder about the universe that science makes available to us. And, almost inevitably, it underscores how much we still have yet to learn about our world.

Throughout history, one of the common arguments against the expansion of science has been something to the effect of "science removes the mystery" of the universe. Well, yes, that's kind of the point. But what opponents to scientific investigation usually mean to say, explicitly or not, is that because we know more about the universe, somehow that makes the universe less wonderful. Somehow a universe of quarks and gluons is less romantic than a universe powered by God. Thus, the argument goes, we shouldn't get too serious about this science stuff—it's depressing.

My response: Are you on crack?

I have just as much trouble fathoming how opponents of science find science depressing and nihilistic as they have trouble fathoming how I find science awesome. It seems self-evident to me that science is wonderful, that it is truly the most appropriate vehicle we have for appreciating our existence. But maybe that's just me, and obviously it's not everyone. So what A Short History of Nearly Everything does is level the playing field, extend the olive branch, if you will. Just as this review isn't an anti-religion diatribe, A Short History barely mentions religion. It doesn't talk about Galileo's persecution by the Church or the rise of creationism and intelligent design in the United States. Bryson and his book are above that. They reaffirm a sentiment I already have, and one I hope you share, either prior to or after reading this book.

Science is fucking awesome.

Sure, one can't understand every scientific concept that one comes across. But that's to be expected. Wave-particle duality is tricky stuff. Just as anyone can become a good handyman with some common sense and little experience, anyone can learn a little bit about quantum mechanics—but if you want to build a quantum house, you'll need many years of experience under your belt.

Even we amateurs, however, can appreciate how cool it is that, for example, our bodies are made of stardust. The heavier elements, of which we are mostly composed, were forged in the crucibles of supernovae light-years away. We're here because some star died for us, and all the atoms managed to travel to Planet Earth. We're here because the Sun pumps out photons that heat our atmosphere, so we don't freeze, and the ozone layer reflects some of the photons away, so we don't fry. Our existence is temporal and transitory and tentative. But we do exist. And regardless of one's stance toward religion, this simple fact is a miracle.

So science can give us miracles too. What Bryson does is take bits and pieces of science, put them in a historical context, and show us the miracles they contain. The result is an appreciation and a better understanding of how the world works.

This is a rather long book—my edition is over 400 pages—and I have to admit it took me a longer time to re-read it than I had anticipated. It's worth the time. Every section is informative and interesting. Although I have a soft spot for physics, the chapters on relativity and quantum mechanics aren't my favourite—perhaps because I've already learned about the concepts elsewhere, so it felt a little redundant. Instead, I really enjoyed reading about the rise of geology, chemistry, and taxonomy. From this book I've learned that fossilization is a risky business; there's way more species hiding everywhere on and underneath the planet than we'll probably ever find; and if I happen to still be alive in a few thousand years, I should probably get volcano insurance.

Even while educating us, Bryson emphasizes how much we don't know. Sometimes the media likes to portray science or scientific theories as "complete" when they are anything but. Perhaps here is where that niggling nihilism starts to rear its head for some people, for Bryson makes it clear that with some things, we probably just can't know, at least not in a timely fashion. On the macroscopic level, once we get out to about the range of Pluto, the distances are so vast as to be almost insurmountable. On the microscopic level, Planck and Heisenberg ensured there would always be a little uncertainty. But I'm OK with that. Preserves the mystery, after all. And provides yet more challenges.

Our ignorance also carries with it a sense of helplessness. We aren't very good at tracking near-Earth objects, for instance, which means if an asteroid does strike us sometime in the near future, we probably won't see it until it hits the atmosphere. Then it will be too late. And even if we did, we don't have the capability to destroy or divert it. Still, lifting the veil of ignorance on one's ignorance is essential to improving one's ability to think critically about science. Who knows: maybe A Short History will inspire some kid to go into astronomy or engineering and invent better asteroid detection equipment.

The upshot of this—as Bryson likes to put it, because his writing style is peppered with repeated phrases like this—is that Bryson presents both the good and the bad of science. As much as science is wonderful, it's also a human enterprise, and we humans are notoriously fallible instruments. Scientists are not immune—indeed, practically prone—to taking credit for another person's work; Bryson is quick to interject anecdotes about the personalities, quirks, and flaws of the persons of interest in the book.

On that note, I wish I kind of had some sort of fact-checking utility for this book. Of course there are references and a bibliography, and Bryson claims in the acknowledgements that various reputable experts have reviewed the material. As much as I love A Short History, however, it is popular science and prone to simplification. So take the anecdotal parts with a grain of salt—for example, contrary to what Bryson claims, NASA didn't destroy the plans for the Saturn V lander (the real problem is trying to find enough reliable vintage parts to construct the thing).

Overall the quality of A Short History of Nearly Everything is just so brilliant that I can't condemn Bryson for his enthusiasm. And I still have several adjectives left, so I can also say that this book is fabulous and stupendous, and you should definitely buy a copy or hold up your local library until it produces one. And if you don't have a local library, you should construct a doomsday device and hold the Earth hostage until such an edifice is constructed in a town near you. Got it? Good.

It's a book worth reading and a book worth remembering; A Short History of Nearly Everything is science and history wrapped in a nutshell of wonder.

First review.
I cannot recommend this book enough to people.

Bill Bryson manages to convey a technically detailed history of the planet while maintaining a readable, comprehensible writing style. His tone is engaging, and his tales are captivating--I particularly enjoyed the discussions on physics and on the development of archaeology and the theory of evolution.

A Short History of Nearly Everything is to books what Bill Nye the Science Guy is to television. This is a book for science lovers and a book for those who swore they'd never take a science class again. I'm a fairly intelligent person; I learned a lot from this book, but at the same time I was already at least acquainted with much of the material it presents. However, that did not stop me from having, "whoa!" moments throughout the book, moments of realization at how complex and wonderful our universe is--and how special it is that we, humans, can strive to understand such a phenomenon.

n  n

বইটার নামকরণের সার্থকতা আছে, "প্রায় সবকিছুর সংক্ষিপ্ত ইতিহাস"-ই বটে।

তবে এখানে কিন্তু মেসোপোটেমিয়া বা মিসরীয় সভ্যতার ইতিহাস লেখা নেই। নেই ব্রিটিশ সাম্রাজ্য বা দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধের ইতিহাসও।
বিল ব্রাইসন বলেছেন মহাবিশ্বের ইতিহাস, বিজ্ঞানের অগ্রগতির ইতিহাস, বিস্ময়কর আবিষ্কারের ইতিহাস, অজানা রহস্যের গল্প এবং এর নেপথ্যে থাকা বিজ্ঞানীদের গল্প।

জ্যোতির্বিজ্ঞান, পদার্থবিজ্ঞান, ভূতত্ত্ব, রসায়ন, জীববিজ্ঞান, প্রাণিবিজ্ঞান, অণুজীববিজ্ঞান, বিবর্তনবাদ, ফসিলবিজ্ঞান প্রায় সবকিছু নিয়েই লেখক আলোচনা করেছেন। অবশ্য উদ্ভিদ নিয়ে আলাপটা কম হয়েছে।

বইটা বেশ সহজবোধ্য ভাষায় লেখা। কিন্তু বইয়ের পাতায় পাতায় এত এত ইনফরমেশন আছে যে মাথা ভারি হয়ে যায়।

কিছু কিছু অংশ পড়ার সময় হয়তো মনোযোগ হারিয়েছি, তখন ভেবেছি কিছু কি মিস করলাম? এই অংশটা কি আরেকবার পড়া উচিত?
এই ভেবে কখনও রি-রিড করেছি। আবার কখনও মনে হয়েছে যা জানলাম তাতেই চলবে, আর জানতে চাইছি না।


এবার একটা নেতিবাচক পয়েন্ট বলি।
চমৎকার সব ছবির আছে বইটিতে। কিন্তু ছবির সমাবেশ আরও দক্ষতার সাথে করা যেত। তথ্য-উপাত্ত বর্ণনার জন্য কিছু ডায়াগ্রাম, গ্রাফ, চার্ট ব্যবহার করলে ভালো হতো। যেমন বায়ুমন্ডলের স্তরের চিত্র, ভূত্বকের স্তরের চিত্র ইত্যাদি। এছাড়া বিজ্ঞানের বইয়ের ক্ষেত্রে পরমাণুর গঠনের চিত্র, জীবকোষ ও জীবকোষীয় অঙ্গাণুর চিহ্নিত চিত্র (কোষ নিয়ে একটা অধ্যায় থাকবে অথচ কোষের একটা ছবি থাকবে না?, কোষ যিনি আবিস্কার করেছেন তাঁর ছবির চেয়ে কোষের ছবি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ) , ডিএনএ, আরএনএর গঠনের চিত্র না থাকলেই নয়।

বইটা পড়ার সাথে কার্ল সেগান, ডেভিড অ্যাটেনবোরো, নিল ডিগ্রাস টাইসনের ডকুমেন্টারির দেখার অভিজ্ঞতার তুলনা করা যায়। জ্ঞানসমুদ্রের তীরে নুড়িপাথর কুড়ানোর অভিজ্ঞতা।

“Познавам” Брайсън от пътеписите му, имам основания да му се доверя като автор, но в толкова дълбоки води не ме беше потапял досега.

Аз съм скарана с науката и за мен “Кратка история на почти всичко” всъщност може да се прекръсти на “Дълга история на всичко.” Брайсън се е опитал да обхване целия обозрим и невидим свят в тази любителска книга за науката, и като че ли не е пропуснал нищо – тук е светът на (между)планетарно и клетъчно ниво, от амебата до земното ядро. Задълбочена и много аналитична книга, която не винаги ми беше понятна и интересна, но която оценявам високо. Мисля, че е добра отправна точка за тези като мен, които нищо не са запомнили от часовете по природонаучните предмети – да щипнат оттук-оттам и да откроят темите, по които да прочетат повече.

За мен това е книга колкото за самата наука, толкова, ако не и повече, за нейните автори – професионални учени или любителите-ентусиасти. Брайсън е дал достатъчно информация за почти всяко име, което споменава, дори въпросният учен да е бил изцяло на погрешен път.

И тук се разкрива цялата очарователна динамика на научните открития, заради която книгата си заслужава. Съвременната представа за учения като човек с докторантура от ”Бръшляновата лига”, с бяла манта и колбички в лаборатория отстъпва място на други типажи от миналото – английски граф с богата библиотека и много свободно време за наблюдения, шведски естествоизипитател-ексцентрик, пастор с телескоп, български емигрант в Швейцария с противен нрав, ученият-приключенец, непочтеният учен, непризнатият учен, ученият, който се принася в жертва на своята наука и много други. Историята на науката някак си трудно може да се отдели от биографиите на хората, благодарение на които светът днес е една идея по-познаваем (но само една; това, което не знаем е много повече).

Изумителен е броя на учените лаици, някои от които не само че не са имали релевантно за научната област образование, но и често не са ходили в университет. Неща като интуиция и проницателност не бива да се подценяват. И късмет, разбира се. И най-добре екипираният ум се нуждае от късмет. Айнщайн пък е пример как със способа на чистото размишление – без микроскопи, лаборатории и екип се стига до велики научни прозрения.

Обратната страна на това е невероятният факт как един и същи ум е способен на велики открития в един момент и на страховити глупости в друг. Пълно е с примери в тази посока.

И така, може би моят фокус е бил грешен, но на мен повече ми допаднаха историите за хората в науката, отколкото разказа за самата наука. С мозък, по-скоро пригоден да помни научни куриози, по-скоро ще ви кажа защо Гьоте е посветил 4 стиха на английски фармацевт, отколкото да разплета кълбото от геоложки пластове.

И все пак някои по-основни неща пробиха ситото на хуманитарния ми мозък - частта, посветена на вирусите, беше писана като за днешния ден и обяснена идеално. От книгата става много ясно и защо за човечеството е добре, че някои открития са (му) се случили по-късно. Може би ще запомним и защо Плутон не е края на Слънчевата система, каква е вероятността “свръхнова” да заличи живота на Земята. Защо еволюцияа е лотария, а човекът съвсем не е нейният апотеоз.

Не знам дали има и по-достъпен начин да се разкаже тази сложнотия. Но Брайсън е свършил чутовна по обем работа, без да изпуска и любимите си каламбури и шеги, с които забавлява в предишните си книги.

Въобще, “Кратка история на почти всичко” е много отрезвяваща, на моменти вълшебна и леко плашеща книга, с която да започнете пътуване в непознати територии.

This book is as much about discovery and good journalism as it is about science. The author, Bill Bryson, takes us through a history of science in the most personal way possible. Our starting point is his starting point: How exactly did we come to have the knowledge we have of the world around us?

In addition to introducing us to the ideas that shape the way we see the world, the author also takes us into the adventure of science. He takes into the hardships and heartaches, the often petty, ego-driven personalities that move our knowledge forward. He takes us into the lives of great scientists both remembered and forgotten. He takes us into the messiness of the debates that have driven scientific conversations. He takes us out into the field where he interviews people working on scientific problems today. He takes us into the realm of the infinitely vast universe, into the infinitely small universe of atoms, into the ancient past, and gives us a sense of the science that may be yet to come.

And in doing so, we get a sense of how precarious our own existence is and the miracle that we have become aware of so much of the universe around us. For this reason, I would recommend this book both to those who are looking for an interesting introduction to science and to those who are looking for a book that will help them marvel at their own existence.

This is an ambitious book covering the history and development of ideas from a very wide range of topics pertaining to how we (humans) got here. Bryson starts all the way with the big bang, to the formation of the cosmos, the solar system and the planet, abiogenesis, evolution, and finally human prehistory. The book spices up a relatively high-level discussion of the relevant scientific topics with the lives and idiosyncrasies of the scientists who made the critical discoveries.

I admire the book for its scope, but an unfortunate side effect is that the book doesn’t get a chance to dive in to any one topic in a satisfying manner. Instead we get an overview of many topics and ideas which is fun sometimes unless you’re already familiar with the topics (e.g. Darwin’s beagle voyages, Watson&Crick’s DNA discovery, spread of humans from Africa, etc.). I personally somehow found the book a little tedious by the end and I was happy when it was over. Marking read, phew. 3/5 - it was okay. I suspect someone less familiar with many of the topics who is content with a broad but shallow overview and willing to hear a lot about the lives of scientists who made the relevant discoveries could enjoy it much more.