A Short History of Nearly Everything

Rating:
Summary: Classic Bryson at his best
Review: It's hard to imagine Bill Bryson topping A Walk in the Woods, and perhaps he hasn't - but with A Short History of Nearly Everything, he comes damn close. Undaunted at the prospect of taking on everything in the universe as a topic, Bryson pretty much succeeds in taking us on a journey through his quirky mind with his own insatiable curiosity as a tour guide who both asks and answers questions the rest of us probably never thought to pose.
If you like Bryson, this is a must read. If you've never read him before, well, you'll quickly become a regular reader such as myself, eagerly awaiting each of his books as they come off the press.

Rating:
Summary: Nearly everything is missing
Review: When I picked up this book, I thought the "everything" in "nearly everything" was everything. In the introduction, the author makes it seem that way too. He fails to mention (anywhere in the book) that his perception of "everything" is just the natural sciences. It is a fun, engaging, acceptably thorough survey of the way mankind first discovered and now views the natural sciences, and for that, it is worth notice. But to say that it is a take on everything is not only wrong, but arrogant and blind.

The biggest part of "everything" is man's culture and it is not even regarded except in the findings of science. And even then, it is severely deficient. When it looks at Relativity or Evolution, for example, it passes up the opportunity for really exploring the theories so that the author can spend more time on the scientist's lives and events surrounding the actual science. I guess that's why it's a history, but getting just a taste is painful for those seeking more than just cocktail party anecdotes. The book doesn't even touch on all the sciences--most notably lacking a survey of psychology. Neuroscience is perhaps at the forefront of "everything" and it isn't even hinted at here.

Instead, Bryson broadcasts, in the officious, repetitive and sarcastic way so many outside of science do, that man and his culture are insignificant, lucky and dangerous. Amnesia strikes the author several times as he asserts how innovative and creative we have been by examining a few of the great natural philosophers and then abruptly claims how harmful and puny we are. He will claim how vast the earth is and how easily it (or an asteroid) could destroy the insignificant mankind and then notes how we are destroying the earth and are a likely candidate for the most destructive thing in the universe.

Bryson sees man's product as shameful and the rest of the universe as brilliant and awesome. The truth of the latter should not necessitate the former. But what else can one expect from someone who thinks "everything" is physical and happens without man's interference?

For a good survey of the thought behind science, read "The Dream of Reason" by Anthony Gottlieb.

For a great survey of the greatest cultural era in history, read "From Dawn to Decadence" by Jacques Barzun.

For insight into the relationship between man, nature and the metaphysical, read "Justice and Equality" by E. Robert Morse.

Rating:
Summary: Some thoughts
Review: If you want to read a very interesting book about historical roots and cultural influences read "The Golden Milestone: Over 2500 Years of Italian Contributions to Civilization," about very influential Romans, Italians and Italian Americans.

Rating:
Summary: Moderately Good Read
Review: I found the title of this work somewhat misleading. Perhaps it should have been called A History of the Natural Sciences or maybe even A Short History of Natural History. Nevertheless, science books often do not sell well so I am sure
the idea in titling the book A Short History of Nearly Everything was to attract more of a broad readership. The book itself isn't awful but certainly reads like a survey work. In other words, you won't learn complicated how-tos of scientific
methodology but you will get a good general idea of a lot of different topics. Some of the things discussed are the origin of the universe, the solar system, the arising of life, and of course man himself or homo sapiens. I found it slightly paradoxical that Bryson spends a good portion of the book building up this almost supernatural-like awe in the reader for the amazing position we find ourselves in of being alive and also of the magical wonder of the universe itself. It's enough to make even the most staunched atheist have reverence. In fact, I could see an atheist while reading the book saying that's God doing that! However, towards the end of the book Bryson seems to take the counter view that we are ultimately doomed to extinction and with continued acts of
stuipidity will be just another blip on the evolutionary scale. Despite this the book reads okay for the most part but is interspersed with relative periods of dryness. However, it's difficult to talk about things like algae and lichens and
keep everyone interested at all times. Nevertheless, a pretty good read recommended if you keep in mind that it's a survey book that will help you do well on trivial pursuit but is not going to give you the know-how to usurp the current model of the universe. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: A Short History of Nothing At All
Review: Amazing! A typical C-student's last-minute make-up paper!
Knowing nothing but pretending to know everything. I love you.

The right sub-title must be one of the following:

1, For pre-school kids;
2, For high-school drop-out;
3, For those who know English only but absolutely nothing else

I wish Amazon whould have negative rating!

Rating:
Summary: Life, The Universe, And (nearly) Everything
Review: In this book, everyone's favorite mid-Atlantic travel writer has a go at popular science writing. Not only did he bone up on the current crop of general audience books, but he interviewed scientists in several fields. All this, he says, was because he was suddenly embarrassed one day to realize how little he knows about science.

This, the finished product, is quite good. Bryson's not up there with pros like Timothy Ferris yet, but his talent, wit, and enthusiasm for his subject make this more than just a vanity project. The familiar stories of the progression of the various sciences are told afresh, inevitably abridged and telescoped as in all popular works, with Bryson tossing in wisecracks as required. His humor carries the reader along, and his sense of wonder is infectious.

Rating:
Summary: Making sense of Science
Review: This history of how we got to be where we are is well written and fairly easy to read. At times concepts are simplified too much but the footnotes usually do a fair job of flushing out difficult theories that are briefly brought up in the text.
Also helpful were the biographies of the scientists and researchers. it helped to paint a portrait of the times and where their ideas were coming from. it also stressed how difficult it truly is to be heard in the scienific comunity even if you have sufficent evidence for your theories.
This is a novel that must be read from start to finish to really make sense of it. The chapters do stand on their own somewhat, but they are not presented or labeled in a way that allows for the reader to know where to find a specific subject they are looking for. Also, there is a very strong conservationist/environmental activist feel to the writting that is supported but may turn off some readers and prevent them from reading this excellent work.

Rating:
Summary: Bryson's walk in the universe.
Review: A SHORTH HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING is a book "about how it happened--in particular how we went from there being nothing at all to there being something, and then how a little of that something turned into us, and also what happened in between and since" (p. 4). In writing his astounding book about everything scientific under the sun, Bill Bryson (A WALK IN THE WOODS) devoted three years of his life to reading books and journals, and asking "saintly, patient experts" a lot of "outstandingly dumb questions" (p. 6) about such subjects as the Big Bang, the age and size of the Earth, evolution, earthquakes, Einstein's theory of relativity, and what goes on inside cells and atoms. "The idea" in writing his SHORT HISTORY, Bryson explains, "was to see if it isn't possible to understand and appreciate--marvel at, enjoy even--the wonder and accomplishments of science at a level that isn't too technical or demanding, but isn't entirely superficial either" (p. 6). Not only does he succeed, but in documenting his long-distance hike through the challenging Appalachian Trails of cosmology, astronomy, paleontology, geology, chemistry, and physics with his distinctive wit, Bryson has written a book that is "unputdownable," to use a word coined by Oxford academic, Richard Dawkins (p. 331). Although he may have failed in his attempt to complete his long WALK IN THE WOODS, Bryson has triumphed in completing his even more daunting journey through the universe.

G. Merritt

Rating:
Summary: A Travelogue to Science
Review: This book is a travelogue of scientific discoveries and the people responsible for them. It is not a science textbook; it's an exploration of how we know what we know about the vastness of the universe down to the infinitesimal atoms that everything is made of. Bryson's chatty style makes this a pleasure to read. He injects humor into what would otherwise be a dry recitation of facts. The personalities of the people involved, the odd and interesting factoids, and the exploration of various dead-end theories make the story come alive.

Bryson is not a scientist, and this isn't intended to be a comprehensive, perfect guide to scientific knowledge. But if this book excites your interest and makes you want to know more about the details, it will have achieved its goal. Bryson includes a very thorough bibliography for those who want to delve into any particular subject.

One of the major themes in the book is that life itself is rather improbable, and a host of calamities may await the human race. But the book overall does not have a depressing outlook. Bryson does a good job of conveying excitement about the marvels contained in the universe and the wonder that can be found in the search for basic truths.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Read!
Review: Bryson has accomplished for the lay reader what years of tedious and boring classroom study could not. A highly comprehensible insight into the intracacies of our universe and our place in the scheme of life. Bryson is at once witty and engaging in his quest for knowledge and his book reads like a detective novel, replete with the giants as well as the charlatans of the historic scientific community. A thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening read, and highly recommended for those of us interested in the natural sciences but victimized by high school and college texts.