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A Short History of Nearly Everything (平装)
by Bill Bryson
| Category:
Science |
| Market price: ¥ 198.00
MSL price:
¥ 168.00
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MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Thanks to Bryson's knowledge and talent, science learning has been made this fun and entertaining. |
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AllReviews |
1 2   | Total 2 pages 17 items |
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The New York Times (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-31 00:00>
Stylish [and] stunningly accurate prose. We learn what the material world is like from the smallest quark to the largest galaxy and at all the levels in between… brims with strange and amazing facts… destined to become a modern classic of science writing. |
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People (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-31 00:00>
Bryson has made a career writing hilarious travelogues, and in many ways his latest is more of the same, except that this time Bryson hikes through the world of science. |
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Seattle Times (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-31 00:00>
Bryson is surprisingly precise, brilliantly eccentric and nicely eloquent... a gifted storyteller has dared to retell the world's biggest story. |
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Gilbert Taylor (Booklist) (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-31 00:00>
Confessing to an aversion to science dating to his 1950s school days, Bryson here writes for those of like mind, perhaps out of guilt about his lack of literacy on the subject. Bryson reports he has been doing penance by reading popular-science literature published in the past decade or two, and buttonholing a few science authors, such as Richard Fortey (Trilobite! Eyewitness to Evolution, 2000). The authors Bryson talks to are invariably enthusiasts who, despite their eminence, never look on his questions as silly but, rather, view them as welcome indicators of interest and curiosity. Making science less intimidating is Bryson's essential selling point as he explores an atom; a cell; light; the age and fate of the earth; the origin of human beings. Bryson's organization is historical and his prose heavy on humanizing anecdotes about the pioneers of physics, chemistry, geology, biology, evolution and paleontology, or cosmology. To those acquainted with the popular-science writing Bryson has digested, his repackaging is a trip down memory lane, but to his fellow science-phobes, Bryson' s tour has the same eye-opening quality to wonder and amazement as his wildly popular travelogues. |
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Allan Bedford (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-31 00:00>
My first exposure to Bryson was by way of The Mother Tongue: English & How It Got That Way. As a writer, I found it both interesting and engaging. Bryson's style is easy going and accessible flavored with humor and intelligence. I then read A Walk in the Woods and again found in Bryson's writing a book I could feel familiar with and simply enjoy without great effort. At one point in that book I laughed out loud with greater zeal than I think any written passage has ever brought out.
In telling you about the other Bryson books I've read I'm hoping to better explain the title of my review for A Short History of Nearly Everything. Being a Bryson book you get the usual; humor, insight and a friendly tone that opens the subject up to just about any reader. But being a Bryson book I did expect a bit more I guess. The stories told of the scientists and historical figures tend to be a bit on the short side as it feels almost like he's left out certain details that might make the tales more complete.
In fact, the way in which the book is written (about the figures of science history, almost more than the science itself) makes me wonder if the book might better be called, A Short History of Nearly Everyone who Contributed to Science Over the Eons. Of course, that's a bit wordy but I think perhaps it would be more accurate.
If you're looking for a nitty-gritty scientific text of the important milestones in humanity's rise from stone to silicon then I suggest you move on. But if you're looking for a great Sunday morning read where you can relax among the pages while enjoying your morning coffee then this is your book. You'll laugh, you'll smile... you might even learn a thing or two! |
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-31 00:00>
Full credit to Bill Bryson for tackling science for the benefit of the every day person. Like he states in his introduction, I too, love science but have always had trouble remembering the details. But since our modern world is so absorbed in science, I felt like my lack of knowledge was holding me back. Well, no longer - thanks to Bryson I was able to successfully answer an entire Jeopardy category on nuclear physics (e.g. "what is a neutrino" ...).
The true brilliance of this book lies in the disguised pile of research underlying the entertaining story Bryson tells. Having been acquainted with his work on travel writing, I never took to the author much in the past even though I travel a lot and thought to find a common interest with Mr. Bryson there. However, in this masterful piece Bryson has captured me forever. Any time I need to know something about atoms, the size of the world, the constant danger from space, volcanoes, oceans and more that threatens to extinguish our very being, or simply to know more about cells, bacteria and evolution, I will be turning to this book.
Did you know, for example, that Newton had a bunch of quirky traits, including an affinity for sticking needles in his eyes as an experiment. He also invented calculus (because he was frustrated with conventional mathematics) but failed to tell anyone about it for twenty-seven years!
Did you also know that one man can be held single-handedly responsible for destroying our atmosphere? His name was Thomas Midgley, Jr. Not only did he put lead into petroleum, knowing full well that it was dangerous, he also, "with an instinct for the regrettable that was almost uncanny" invented CFCs. Equally interesting, was his death (you have to read it to believe it).
Bill Bryson takes us through a journey of the history of the world. He tells the story of how scientists made discoveries, some so ludicrous (such as Ice Ages) that the men and women who thought of them were though mad, and their theories ignored for decades. Until someone came along who could prove them. And he personalizes the stories; turning legends into characters that we feel we can begin to know, because they all have their faults. Darwin, for example, spent five years on the Beagle because its captain, FitzRoy (a very, very odd man), liked the fact that Darwin was a devout Christian. But even after five years, Darwin was mystified to find out that FitzRoy was engaged to be married. I mean, how do you spend five years in close confinement with someone and not even find out a basic fact of their life?
It's these kinds of stories that make this book such fun to read. And all the while it's very informative. There are well over a hundred pages of notes at the back of the book to back up the stories. And who'd have thought that I am so passionately interested in bacteria? Just fabulous. I wish I had such talent! |
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Andrew Dobrow (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-31 00:00>
In A Short History, Bill Bryson has produced a book that is fun and informative. For as long as time and history can show, mankind has been on a quest to search for the origins of the universe, and how we fit into all of it. In this book, Bryson attempts for illustrate the history of our search up to now. Sometimes reading this book is an utter delight, and sometimes you wished he would just get on with it, but nevertheless it is a good effort.
While you read you will notice that Bryson makes metaphors to help put the astronomical physics into perspective. What I found more amazing were the actual discoveries (that sometimes turned my head into a daze of thought), rather then the sometimes laughably metaphors he makes. Bryson tries to make comparisons that will let you wrap your mind around how massive the universe is, yet I found that it was much more fun reading to think about how massive everything actually is.
Coming into this book I only had a mere knowledge of the history of Physics, but afterwards, I really felt like I had learned a lot. Bill Bryson writes in such a way where you don't notice you are learning as you read, but by the end of the book, you are now informed about many of the universes mysteries.
One reason this book was so fun is that it gets you thinking about your own theories about the universe. No matter how insane those theories maybe, it is still fun to pretend that you are a physicist.
Never during the book does Bryson stray from his laymen descriptions and everything is written in such a way that most could understand. The only criticism I can offer is that some of the time, while he is naming of different scientists and their companions, the names seem to get jumbled. At these moments I think that it could of been written smoother, but as long as you don't rush through it, it's easy enough to understand.
All in all, I would strongly recommend this book to people who have an interest in learning something about the history of physics, yet are not enabled to read science babble works which you wouldn’t be able to understand unless you had a degree in physics. This book was a joy to read and was an entertaining way to spend a few free days. |
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Ron Max (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-31 00:00>
Bill Bryson set out to write a book that will explain, without boring the reader, how science worked. And he succeeds. Bryson moves seamlessly across the vast array of science: from cosmology (how Earth formed), to geology (Earth's age), to paleontology (dinosaurs), to meteorology (weather), up to chemistry and biology. Despite a few lapses, and a bit too much gossip for my taste, the book impresses in both scope and prose.
The writing is pointed (It is a curious fact that on Earth species death is, in the most literal sense, a way of life. p 342), and entertaining (How fast a man's beard grows, for instance, is partly a function of how much he thinks about sex. p.413). Science is both respected and debatable (... we live in a universe whose age we can't quite compute, surrounded by stars whose distances we don't altogether know, filled with matter we can't identify, operating in conformance with physical laws whose properties we don't truly understand. p 172). And it ends with a statement that can be interpreted in many ways - "If this book has a lesson, it is that we are awfully lucky to be here.... And will require a good deal more lucky breaks."
Sadly, it's evident in certain areas - at least in those parts I have prior knowledge - that Bryson was repeating a notion or an idea he didn't fully understand. The book would have much better had Bryson collaborated with scientists instead of asking for input. Yet, I would highly recommend it for those who have no background in science. |
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Phil (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-31 00:00>
By the end of this book I had a layman's grasp on quantum physics, a beginner's understanding of how the universe works, and a far deeper appreciation for God. That last one was probably not Bill Bryson's intention. But for Christians, this book is an important book to read.
First of all, it's simple. Almost ridiculously too simple. Second, it's funny. I found myself laughing out loud a number of times. And its not just Bryson's humor about the topics that is so addicting - he tells the stories that you'll never find in science textbooks because...well, they're just too embarrassing. Third, it's encompassing. He really does touch on nearly everything. From the distance of stars to the structure of atoms - from the movement of continents to the movement of clouds with brief stops in the measurement of mountains and the depths of the sea - he seems to touch upon just about every topic of science that you can reasonably wonder about.
Two things that need to be pointed out (especially for Christian readers). First, you need to get past the evolution. Bryson is not presenting his material from a God-perspective. Additionally, because God is not in the picture, it causes Bryson to make some logical leaps that are, quite honestly, sad to see in an otherwise well-documented, honest presentation of what science knows and doesn't know.
But those are all minor points in the overall usefulness of the book. I'd highly recommend it to anyone and for Christians especially to just sit back and be prepared to be awed by your God who created and understands all these things that we are just dabbling in.
For the full review, go to the blog listed in my screen name and click on the Readings category. |
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Jeff Benson (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-31 00:00>
While it should have been dubbed more accurately as a short history of human knowledge, this book was a fascinating, utterly worthwhile overview of what we know about why we're here, what's going on in the natural universe, and how we came to know such things in the first place. On one side, the book is packed with awe-inspiring facts about the sheer size of our solar system, the complexity of biological life; on the other, it paints colorful pictures of science's more colorful characters, complete with anecdotes about how discoveries came about and what became of those who did the discovering. Although it ends on a sad note by talking about the specter of looming species extinction and the hubris and destructiveness of mankind, it's a point that needed to be included. Overall a very enjoyable, stimulating, positive read, compiled by an author with a gift for making esoteric branches of science accessible to the layperson. Recommend for the curious (or the ought-to-be-more- curious). |
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