Please enter your name. The E-mail message field is required. Please enter the message. Please verify that you are not a robot. Would you also like to submit a review for this item? You already recently rated this item. Your rating has been recorded. Write a review Rate this item: 1 2 3 4 5. Preview this item Preview this item. To that end, Bill Bryson apprenticed himself to a host of the world's most profound scientific minds, living and dead. His challenge is to take subjects like geology, chemistry, paleontology, astronomy, and particle physics and see if there isn't some way to render them comprehensible to people, like himself, made bored or scared stiff of science by school.
His interest is not simply to discover what we know but to find out how we know it. How do we know what is in the center of the earth, thousands of miles beneath the surface? How can we know the extent and the composition of the universe, or what a black hole is? How can we know where the continents were million years ago? How did anyone ever figure these things out? On his travels through space and time, Bill Bryson encounters a splendid gallery of the most fascinating, eccentric, competitive, and foolish personalities ever to ask a hard question.
In their company, he undertakes a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge. Read more Show all links. Allow this favorite library to be seen by others Keep this favorite library private. Save Cancel. Find a copy in the library Finding libraries that hold this item Loved every page of it, even geology was made exciting. That really is some feat.
A short history of nearly everything This is a remarkable accomplishment. From the author, of course, but also from me, to have read it. I'm not a scientist, so when I started reading this book, I expected that I would skip some parts.
But I didn't ; I read every single page of this highly readable and enjoyable book. I won't bother you with all the scientific stuff I learned. Instead, I compiled a top 5 list of the frightful fates of some scientists. Max Planck was a German theore A short history of nearly everything This is a remarkable accomplishment. Max Planck was a German theoretical physicist whose work on quantum theory won him the Nobel Prize in physics in Max Planck had to deal with many tragedies in his life.
His beloved first wife, Marie, died at a young age in , probably from TBC. They had four children with his second wife Magda he had a fifth child Hermann. During the first world war, his son Erwin was taken prisoner by the French in , while his other son Karl was killed in action at Verdun.
His daughter Grete died in while giving birth to her first child, and two years later her twin sister Emma died the same way, after having married Grete's widower. In February his home in Berlin was completely destroyed by an air raid, annihilating all his scientific records and correspondence. In , Erwin was sentenced to death by the Nazi Volksgerichtshof and executed, because of his participation in the failed attempt to assassinate Hitler in july His death destroyed much of Max Planck's will to live.
Tragic 2. Doctor Thomas Midgley Jr. He was a key figure in a team of chemists that developed the lead additive to gasoline TEL as well as some of the first CFCs. His work led to the release of large quantities of lead into the atmosphere as a result of the large-scale combustion of leaded gasoline all over the world. Thomas Midgley Jr.
Bill Bryson remarked that Midgley possessed "an instinct for the regrettable that was almost uncanny". In , at the age of 51, Midgley contracted poliomyelitis, which left him severely disabled.
This led him to devise an elaborate system of strings and pulleys to help others lift him from bed. This system was the eventual cause of his own death when he was entangled in the ropes of this device and died of strangulation at the age of Horrible 3.
Gideon Mantell — was an English obstetrician, geologist and paleontologist. He and his wife discovered several large teeth of an Iguanodon in , but they were dismissed as belonging to a fish or mammal or rhinoceros, by other scientist. Mantell was mocked by his peers, and especially sir Richard Owen the coiner of the word "dinosaur" made his life a hell.
Mantell became financially destitute and his wife left him in His son emigrated to New Zealand that same year, and his daughter died in In Mantell was the victim of a terrible carriage accident in London. Somehow he fell from his seat, became entangled in the reins and was dragged across the ground. Mantell suffered a debilitating spinal injury. He became bent, crippled and in constant pain.
Richard Owen took advantage from this and tried to ruin Mantell's reputation as an important contributor to the science of paleontology. In fact, Owen even transferred claim of a number of discoveries from Mantell to himself.
He died that afternoon. Then, as a final act of indignity, Owen had a section of Mantell's spine removed and displayed his pickled spine in a jar in his museum. Dreadful 4. Alfred Wegener was a German polar reseacher, geophysicist and meteorologist. Today he is most remembered as the originator of the theory of continental drift by hypothesizing in that the continents are slowly drifting around the Earth.
Wegener's fourth and last Greenland expedition was in The 14 participants under his leadership were to establish three permanent stations from which the thickness of the Greenland ice sheet could be measured and year-round Arctic weather observations made.
Success depended on enough provisions being transferred from West camp to Eismitte "mid-ice" for two men to winter there, and this was a factor in the decision that led to his death. On 24 September, although the route markers were by now largely buried under snow, Wegener set out with thirteen Greenlanders and his meteorologist Fritz Loewe to supply the camp by dog sled.
Twelve of the Greenlanders returned to West camp. On 19 October the remaining three members of the expedition reached Eismitte.
There being only enough supplies for three at Eismitte, Wegener and Rasmus Villumsen took two dog sleds and made for West camp. They took no food for the dogs and killed them one by one to feed the rest until they could run only one sled. While Villumsen rode the sled, Wegener had to use skis, but they never reached the camp: Wegener died and Villumsen was never seen again.
Wegener died probably of a heart attack Bill Bryson wrote he froze to death. Villumsen then resumed his journey, but did not complete it. His body was never found. Terrible 5. Edwin Hubble was an American astronomer who is known for playing a vital role in the development of extragalactic astronomy.
What became of Edwin Hubble after his death at his home on the 28th of September , is a mystery. The whereabouts of his body were known only to his widow. It is not known whether he was buried or cremated or where his remains now lie. This secret his widow took to her own grave. His wife who adored him, devoted years of her life to writing an almost mythical account of her husband's life, much of which is evidently false. View all 18 comments. Aug 19, Otis Chandler rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: anyone curious about the world.
Shelves: history , nonfiction , science. A fascinating history of science. Ever curious how everything we know about the world came to be - read this! I loved reading about what old greats like Darwin thought about the world - they were all right about most things, but also very wrong about some things - makes you wonder how much we are wrong about today! Another interesting piece was how many of the world's prominent scientists had the time to do their research because they came from rich families.
Very different from todays notion of A fascinating history of science. Very different from todays notion of 'trust funders'. Apr 19, Dave Gaston rated it it was amazing Shelves: invention , ecology-earth-science , nonfiction , discovery , science , history. First off, this is a huge departure from Bryson's breezy, excellent travel logs. Secondly, this book should be read with some frequency. It is so densely packed with valuable insight, and sound bites of discovery that you could not possibly absorb it all with one pass.
This is my second time reading it and I plan on doing it again next year. The organizational structure is a wonderful series of loosely connected cameos covering several essential and enlightened discoveries of man.
As an added bo First off, this is a huge departure from Bryson's breezy, excellent travel logs. As an added bonus, the book actually attempts to pay off on the cheeky title. His books thankfully, including this one are all peppered with wit and charm and a heavy snatch of sarcasm.
Further and maybe more importantly, he has the good sense to skip over heavy deep dives into mathematics, theories or anything at an ivy graduate level.
I love this guy. I feel like he wrote this book for me and I hope he writes 10 more just like this. I was stranded on the proverbial desert island. Bryson has created a true encyclopedic kaleidoscope. Imagine the fun he had writing this book as he allowed his mind to logically wormhole through and across time!
Jul 31, David Rubenstein rated it it was amazing Shelves: science , nonfiction. I am a scientist, and I found much of this book quite fascinating. The book certainly isn't comprehensive in any sense of the word--in fact it seems to roam in a semi-random sort of way; but the author's sense of humor and attention to colorful historical facts kept my interest from beginning to end. One of the themes of this book, is that when someone comes up with with a new discovery, there are three stages before it is accepted: 1 Nobody believes it.
These three stages come up again and again in this book. I guess it can be attributed to the fact that most scientists--and most people--are, at heart, conservative in nature. Shelves: scientific , big-tomes , own-in-hardcover , non-fiction , own-in-paperback , owned-books. This is an immensely readable book with a truly monumental amount of information.
While reading it, one might wish to remember all its content, but it's written in a way allowing the reader to pick up the volume and start reading at any point, according to his interests, though Bryson relays all subjects in captivating and available way, with a big dose of humor.
This is a weighty book - pages - but Bryson's not joking. He really tries to cover everything, from the beginning of the universe a This is an immensely readable book with a truly monumental amount of information. He really tries to cover everything, from the beginning of the universe and the nature of our solar system and planet, through biological evolution of our species and the effects of us being here, both on nature and other creatures.
Needless to say, he does an extremely good job of captivating the reader's attention from the first page and has no difficulty laying out complex concepts in a way that every reader will understand. Also, aside from all the facts, the book is also full of trivia and anecdotes about the experiments and the scientists who performed them.
In the introduction, Bryson recalls his childhood and remembers how he was fascinated by the image of a cross-section of our planet, but at the same time put down by the nature of the book that contained it. The dry presentation of the facts, that were accompanied only by a set of exercies to test the gained knowledge, puzzled him.
How did these people know how our planet looks from the inside? And who exactly were they? In his book, he accomplishes an important thing, one of the most important things - he presents the data while at the same time never letting go of the terribly exciting feeling of discovery , and presenting information about the discoverers themselves. It's obvious that he did a lot of research, but it's also obvious that these things fascinated him, and he grabs the reader's hand and runs headlong into the unexplored.
And it is a world full of wonders. If schoolteachers shared Bryson's joy and flair we might have ended up with a whole lot more of biologists, physicists, chemists and geologists. I don't know if it's the best book of it's kind, but it is certainly an achievement worth re-reading. View all 8 comments. Oct 05, Diane rated it really liked it Shelves: science , audiobooks , nonfiction , history.
I must admit that science is not my strong suit -- I've always been more of a Humanities gal. In high school, I had to work harder in my biology and chemistry classes, whereas English, history and social studies always came more easily to me. Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" is a good overview of all the science classes I didn't take or don't remember in college.
Since I read very I must admit that science is not my strong suit -- I've always been more of a Humanities gal. Since I read very few books about science, this was an enjoyable departure for me. Here is how the book begins: "Welcome.
And congratulations. I am delighted that you could make it. Getting here wasn't easy, I know. In fact, I suspect it was a little tougher than you realize. To begin with, for you to be here now trillions of drifting atoms had somehow to assemble in an intricate and curiously obliging manner to create you.
It's an arrangement so specialized and particular that it has never been tried before and will only exist this once. For the next many years we hope these tiny particles will uncomplainingly engage in all the billions of deft, co-operative efforts necessary to keep you intact and let you experience this supremely agreeable but generally under-appreciated state known as existence. After sharing various stories of how humans have killed off who-knows-how-many species, Bryson interjects: "I mention all this to make the point that if you were designing an organism to look after life in our lonely cosmos, to monitor where it is going and keep a record of where it has been, you wouldn't choose human beings for the job.
I listened to this on CD read by the author, and if you've been following my reviews for a while, you'll know that I have a brain crush on Bryson and his narration. Seriously, I wish I could invite him over for tea and scones and just listen to him read all afternoon.
Bryson is from my home state of Iowa, but he's lived in England for so long that he's adopted a charming accent. It's adorable. I was also able to look through a copy of the special illustrated edition, which includes dozens of photographs and prints. If you can find it, I highly recommend reading the illustrated edition. Since then, Bryson seems to have abandoned travel books and has been writing on different topics in history, such as the wonderful "At Home", "Shakespeare" and "One Summer: America If you're reading this, Bryson, please, take a trip somewhere.
Have an adventure. Jot down a few notes and write another whip-smart travel book. Your fans will love it. Nov 05, Brian rated it liked it Shelves: non-fiction. I found this text the most interesting when Bill Bryson turned his attention to the personalities in the science world as opposed to lots of the science itself. He is more comfortable writing on that human angle subject and it shows. Do not read it before bed, you will have bad dreams.
Although Mr. I am irritated that when I was in school it was presented in this infallible and intellectually dishonest manner. Bill Bryson mostly avoids that arrogance. That astounds me! The quote I used as the title for this review is the recurrent theme of this text. As one scientist in the text states. Science and a bit of history thrown in is always interesting.
However, by the last pages or so I was more than ready for the book to be finished. I read it; I was intrigued, learned a lot. Moving on. Nov 15, Paul E. 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.
Mar 07, Mario the lone bookwolf rated it it was amazing Shelves: bryson-bill , 0-natural-sciences. 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 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.
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. 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.
Normal im Denken und Verhalten statt exzentrisch und brillant, welch Ungerechtigkeit. Jun 01, India M. Clamp rated it it was amazing. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. Encyclopedia of Russian History Volume 3. Everything - A Very Short Introduction. Filosofins historia utdrag ur Bertrand Russels wisdom of the west. Fred S. Gale - Europe to Volume 1. Gale - Europe to Volume 2. Gale - Europe to Volume 3.
Gale - Europe to Volume 4. Gale - Europe to Volume 5. Gale - Europe to Volume 6. Gale Encyclopedia of Russian History. General Military Regiments of Foot. Heidegger - Early Greek Thinking.
History of the Crusades Vol 1. History of the Crusades Vol 2. History of the Crusades Vol 3. History of the Crusades Vol 4.
0コメント