A Short History of Nearly Everything (Unabridged)
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By Bill Bryson
Narrated By William Roberts
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Length: Length: 19 hours and 1 min.
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Audiobook Summary: A Radio 4 Book Club Selection. A Short History of Nearly Everything is Bill Bryson's fascinating and humorous quest to understand everything that has happened from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization. He takes subjects that normally bore the pants off most of us, like geology, chemistry, and particle physics, and aims to render them comprehensible to people who have never thought they could be interested in science. In the company of some extraordinary scientists, Bill Bryson reveals the world in a way most of us have never seen it before. Click here to see all the titles in our Bill Bryson collection. Click here to see all the titles in our Radio & TV Book Clubs collection. ©2003 Bill Bryson; (P)2003 BBC Audiobooks Ltd Published: 01/01/2003, BBC WW Customers who bought this also bought… £32.29 £7.99 £6.99 £11.69 £7.99 £9.07 £7.99 Critics Reviews "To read Bryson is to travel with a memoirist gifted with wry observation and keen insight that shed new light on things we mistake for commonplace. To accompany the author as he travels with the likes of Charles Darwin on the Beagle, Albert Einstein or Isaac Newton is a trip worth taking." (Publishers Weekly) "Stylish [and] stunningly accurate prose....Brims with strange and amazing facts...destined to become a modern classic of science writing." (The New York Times) Customer Reviews 213 Visitors' Rating: Bill Bryson is best known for writing fun travelogues of his journeys around the world and, here, he turns the same sense of humour and writing style to this brief walk through the history of science. Split in fairly broad swathes by subject, he addresses what we know, what we suspect and what we thought we knew but now figure we got wrong. This is interspaced with tales of the people behind the discoveries (many oddballs and eccentrics). This is by no means complete, but there is a surprisingly large amount covered including cosmology, geology, biology and lots of other things you hated at school because they weren't presented this clearly or interestingly. The only downside to the audiobook comes when discussing some numbers where the sheer immensity gets lost a bit without seeing it written down but it's the most minor of quibbles for a truly special text introducing reasonable intelligent science to the reasonably intelligent person. hyatt, United Kingdom 08/08/2005 81/82 registered users found this helpful | Register I listened to it in the car twice, my sons read it. I bought four copies of the book to give away to friends. ALL found it incredibly insightful and well written. So informative about important scientific developments. The author reads it perfectly. Very nice to listen to. Dominique, Oerbaek, Denmark 06/10/2005 38/39 registered users found this helpful | Register You certainly gets your monies worth with this book, as you'll need to listen to it over and over to get to grips with all the information contained. Having said that, it's easy listening and the narrator is easy on your ears. gazlite, Congleton, United Kingdom 18/01/2007 19/19 registered users found this helpful | Register Read more customer reviews What an eye opener! Derek, East Barnet, United Kingdom 29/10/2005 4/15 registered users found this helpful | Register This is a chunky book, and the audio version is no different. There is a LOT of scientific ground covered in this, and there's no time for hanging around, explaining things twice over. However, unlike lectures, you can rewind this, stop when you get a bit overwhelmed and (certainly what I'm going to do) listen to it all over again. This probably wouldn't suit anyone who's got A-levels or higher in science, but also, you have to be interested in finding out stuff, as although the author has little stories within, you ARE going to be listening to a lot of scientific histories and theories. Nice narration and I especially approve of the author's view on carbon dating ! Ann, United Kingdom 12/05/2008 3/3 registered users found this helpful | Register I was gripped by this from beginning to end. Bryson provides an overview of modern science, tracing the story of various disciplines. What stands out is the way that he makes each narrative strand fascinating in its own right, while weaving them into a bigger picture. I loved the way that he provides a historical perspective on scientific endeavour. He's really good at explaining where various ideas came from and why they seemed radical in their day. I'm sure that if you're a serious scientist then Bryson is just glossing the surface. But as an interested non-scientist I found that this explained and illuminated a lot of ideas I had previously found vague and confusing. Fascinating. architrave, Sheffield, United Kingdom 11/07/2007 3/3 registered users found this helpful | Register I decided to give this a go on audiobook, as the length of the actual book put me off. I'm glad I did. If you are expecting 'History' in the traditional sense here, be warned - Bryson's book covers 'History' in terms of the creation of the world, the universe and everything, and is in fact far more concerned with physics and chemistry. Very interesting in parts, although I have to be honest and say big chunks went over my head - it's the sort of listen that you can tune in and out of as you wish. Be warned though - it's very very very long, so you will need determination to get through it all. Helen, United Kingdom 16/11/2007 3/3 registered users found this helpful | Register Bryson delivers a truly mesmerising account of scientific exploration and the people behind it in this fantastic work. All of the areas one would expect are covered, with cosomology, astronomy, geography, geology, and biology all given comprehensive cover. That Bryson is not a scientist undoubtedly helps him cover such a wide range. His tone is that of man on a voyage of discovery himself (as he surely was) and not as an academic in an ivory tower. This abstraction allows for touches of Bryson's humour to shine through when similar texts from within science would perhaps be a little dry. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of 'A Short History' is the attention given to the human stories behind the great discoveries discussed; we are given insights into the minds of Darwin, Newton, Lyle and countless others that fascinate, inform, and leave you grasping for the nearest pen as you feel the need to track down that certain biography or key text. This move lightens the factual density nicely and allows us to see another aspect of science. This imposing, faceless entity that is 'Science' is not the clean, crisp discipline its practitioners would wish, but a place filled with all the deceit and vengeful intent of your average episode of Eastenders. For my money, Bryson spends a little too long discussing the catastrophic (although this is probably reflected in science itself) without putting his facts it into context, and this is perhaps the books greatest flaw. Still, 'A Short History' is peerless and certainly warrants your attention. I would also implore you to listen to this unabridged version. While the abridged version is read by Bryson which is an appeal, the narrator here is fantastic and certainly does the book justice. The chapters last around 40 minutes meaning that while the sum total is large, each segment can be easily digested. If you do choose the unabridged version; you are in for a 20 hour treat that won't easily be forgotten. Gregory, Leicester, United Kingdom 24/04/2008 2/2 registered users found this helpful | Register I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's like an epic. Only it's on life. And it made me care about areas of science which I had very little regard for prior to (paleontology schmaleontology no more!). But it is a marathon read... many trips to the gym, in my case. One suggestion for those attempting this book: have a notepad or something handy to jot down names and things that interest you for further study. Tirath, Australia 04/06/2008 2/2 registered users found this helpful | Register I've listened to it twice and also bought the paperback in swedish to better grasp all the amazing facts that are presented in this book. Not saying that it is difficult to understand the language in the book but translation of some scientific terms are better left to a professional. It is well-written and well-narrated. A genuine must-have book. Mark, Mölndal, Sweden 16/05/2008 2/2 registered users found this helpful | Register A book that has to be put forward for the Booker prize of the year. I can only agree with all the critics that say this book should be put onto School and University curriculam's - A riveting read Mike, United Kingdom 04/01/2007 2/3 registered users found this helpful | Register Enjoyable meander through most realms of scientific discovery. Its historical perspective and lack of true scientific meat will frustrate those with scientific knowledge. Alistair, Horringer, United Kingdom 12/08/2006 1/3 registered users found this helpful | Register I bought this book in the hopes that it would make interesting all of the subjects that failed to capture my imagination at school. Sadly I was terribly disappointed. This is a boy's book, filled with facts and figures, numbers with countless zeros. I found it really hard to engage with. I found the voice of the narrator very annoying - I think I have got too used to hearing Bill Bryson reading his own books. However, on the plus side, and the reason I gave it one star, it is great for insomnia. Christie, Edinburgh, United Kingdom 02/11/2008 1/4 registered users found this helpful | Register I understand what Bill was trying to do here, making stuff that is so intensely dull more interesting. The thing is when i bought the book i didn't realise it was going to be about everything before civilisation. Big bang theory, Space, Earth etc. I thought it was going to explain how things work now as well not just on one area. So i did end up finding the book way too heavy and every time i started listening i fell asleep. braveheartbri, peterborough, United Kingdom 07/06/2009 PHEW - I felt like I was back in the classroom. Worse than that possibly, like being in Uni lectures and unable to take notes. When you're driving it's impossible to keep rewinding but perhaps that's a good thing (and therefore better than reading the book). How do you take in all these facts? The answer is - you don't have to. Just keep going and it's very entertaining as well as clever and very informative. Patricia, Kendal, United Kingdom 02/06/2009 I originally had the CD audio version of this book and was disappointed after it ended after only 6 hours of listening. Then I joined audible and I find it's actually 17 hours long. I'm planning to download this and give the long version a listen. This one is actually read by Bill Bryson himself, which is a big improvement over the narrator who usually reads his audio books. Mark, United Kingdom 24/07/2009 Bill Bryson is one of my favourite contemporary writers. He makes his own experiences come to life in a light hearted and extremely entertaining way. He has done it again here - I dutifully decided that I needed to know about the world we live in and expected it to be interesting. It is -so much so that I am listening to it for the 3rd time. It is also very funny. I thoroughly recommend it. Mady, Cannes, France 27/03/2009 Bill Bryson does a marvellous job packing all that information into his book and making it so immensely readable for people like me who tend to shun anything to do with physics and natural science. And the narrator is simply wonderful: 19 hours and not once does one tire of his voice, he manages to make one want to keep listening with his lively yet never forced way of narrating. Liselotte Horneman Kragh, Silkeborg, Denmark Liselotte H, Denmark 20/06/2009 An enjoyable read about....... well nearly everything! Some very factual but accurate attention to detail in this volume for anyone who wishes to increase their personal knowledge base. As someone with a science/medical background this book served up some old memories as well as clearly explaining subject matters I'd struggled with as a student. Andrew , United Kingdom 15/09/2009 I like to think I'm fairly well scientifically educated. I cannot dispute the fact it is well written, but it is by no means a book for everyone. It gets very deep in places and some may give up. The humour found in his travel books is still there but less frequent. Still enjoyable, but hard going compared to other Bryson books. Richard, United Kingdom 18/08/2009 What a simply fantastic read!!! Well read and succinctly put - a true 'travelogue' of scientific discovery. Bill does here what he does best and this history is all the better for it. It makes surprisingly easy reading for the 'layman' and should be appluadid as such - Oh, how we wish for more!!! Here`s truly hoping that Bill turns his talents to other scientific, astrologicall plus cosmological ideologies & facts etc, very soon - for all the world should benefit from such.. Please write more, in this style soon!! paddy42, nr. macclesfield,, United Kingdom 23/05/2006 The only slight niggling worry about this very entertaining and informative book is the accuracy of some of the facts. For example when discussing the reduction of air temperature with height (lapse rate) he says (from memory) 1.4c reduction per 1000m, when in fact the true figure is more like 6.5c per 1000m. Now i'm a pilot so i know that one....makes me doubt the ones i don't know. That said, otherwise its excellent. Patrick, United Kingdom 16/02/2009 The author takes you from science to science, subject to subject, from fact to fact in a very ingenious and entertaining way. From their foundations to the updated aspects of the practical and interesting science the book shows, a must to get acquainted with, by the average well-informed person. The friendly and attractive voice of the reader and the very useful content of the book make it to me: the best one I ever enjoyed. And this is that way perhaps because I am the intellectual kind of person. Being me a non-native, but with thousands of hours of study of our beloved brogue, this fact is very important to understand my extraordinary appreciation of that beautiful read the book is in its own right. Very good value for money indeed and the first I have download from your web site. And taking advantage of the monthly order at a very economic price a healthy habit for my English improvement as well. Thank you for delivering it to us. larrym55, Spain 18/04/2009 To be fair, I usually listen to fiction, but have read and enjoyed a number of Bryson's travelogue-type books. However, I found this audiobook hard going - I had to be in the right state of mind to listen, with nothing else going on around me and not in the least bit tired. The moment your mind wanders, you have missed something and the next 10 minutes may well become meaningless. I also couldn't get our of my head, a basic objection to what Bryson was doing. He starts by telling us that he hates the fact that scientists tell us things without explaining how they know it to be true ... and then spends the rest of the book spewing out a fantastic array of 'facts' which we are just expected to believe. I'm sorry, but I just didn't buy it! Keith, Belper, United Kingdom 03/01/2009
Audiobook Keywords: History, World