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Summary: Superb introduction to life, the universe, and everything
Review: This book is an imminently readable, funny, moving history of the universe, solar system, planet, life.(...). Bryson, as always, is an engaging storyteller who has done a great deal of research on his subject. Three things make the book stand out: Bryson's sense of humor, stand-out ablility to make pretty much anything he writes about fascinating, and the broad scope of the book-it covers everything from the big bang to string theory. Additionally, Bryson offers many brief sketches of the great personalities of science, the overlooked ones, and the infamous conflicts. If you want to stand out at parties, or just know a little more about nearly everything, and do it without putting yourself to sleep, this is your book.
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Summary: A short description of this book...
Review: I ordered this on a whim and really enjoyed it. If you like the PBS show Connections, then this is the book for you! The style and whit really hit the spot. I am not a science junkie by nature, but this book actually made me regret not going into the hard sciences. It should be noted that this book is not just about science. It is primarily about the people who work in science. The most entertaining part is the personalities behind the science and not necessarily the science itself. The author is the reader and at times you feel as if you are actually having a conversation with him. I found myself running home and telling my husband, "I learned about quarks today!!" He borrowed my car once, listened to one of the cds, and is eager to start listening to it when I'm done.
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Summary: A Good Read
Review: This book digs into some pretty tough scientific thought, but is always easy to follow. Gives the reader much room for thought on these subjects, and also makes you realize that all of the brainpower and genius that has gone into this scientific thought has not prevented the ones with the brains from being human. The history of science is full of intrigue, back-stabbing, petty quarreling, arguing, refuting and 'cooking the books' to promote your pet theory. This book tells these human stories too. Recommended most highly!
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Summary: Brings life to science.
Review: As a chemistry teacher, this book ranks up there with "Our Demon Haunted World" by Sagan as the most important book I've read. Bryson fills in the missing spaces of our bland textbook education and make scientists seem human.
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Summary: The What and the How
Review: I've read a number of science books and have a moderate grasp of a fair portion of the hard sciences (though with not nearly the breadth or scope of the actual discoveries themselves) and what really strikes me about this book is not just the discoveries made in unraveling the universe's mysteries, but the discoverers themselves. He is able to sum up what really requires huge volumes to fully explain and with just a few well-crafted sentences, delivers a fairly vivid picture of the people responsible for the majority of our scientific progress (even though, often as not, it's not the person famous for it). Now, those truly interested in delving into a subject would do well to read further AFTER devouring this book and I certainly wouldn't want to be summed up in a couple lines, but I don't think "A Long History of Absolutely Everything" would fit as neatly in my bag. Those who "poo-poo" this book for this reason are obviously unclear on the concept. This is a fun, easy read about some very weighty subjects. It has a couple inaccuracies out of thousands of facts, so beats out most reading by an enormous spread. I have recommended this book unabashedly to everyone I know and am about to reread it. Seeing the enormous stack of books I want to wade through, I can offer no higher praise than a reread.
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Summary: A Truely Awesome Book !!
Review: This super book was in the big print section at the library and it was written so I could understand what the man meant when he told about the Universe and how far things are apart, and early man and all his names, and the different classes given to time in our past and all sorts of good stuff. The big print kept my eyes from feeling furry after reading an hour or two...Its just super for home work or to look at over and over to get answers....Try It ...You Won't Be Sorry
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Summary: an astonishing achievement
Review: Be warned, folks. This book is not for everyone. If you're a paranoid moron who believes that anything not found in the bible is a lie, please don't buy this book. If you're a frustrated scientist who can't accept that a layman, no matter how bright and articulate, can have anything relevant or enlightening to say about science, please don't buy this book.
However, most people, who like to read good writing, who have an active mental life and curiosity about the world around them, and can approach this book with an open mind and a little zeal, will absolutely love it. Bryson tackles an immense range of thorny and rather difficult topics and concepts and somehow manages to not only explain them but make them interesting and enjoyable. I am well trained in biology, chemistry, math and physics (although I would never identify myself as a scientist) but I wouldn't have thought that an excursion into particle physics or geology could be very compelling. Bryson makes it so, with a gift for description and analogy that brings these subjects out of the realms of theory and academia. He brings them to life. Part of the charm of the book are the fascinating glimpses of scientists, adventurers,mathematicians and discoverers who all played a role in figuring out this world we live in and on. Isaac Newton is dissatisfied with the system of mathematics that he has been using, so he invents calculus. Einstein stares out the window of the Swiss patent office where he works and has the most important thought that has ever been thought, E=mc2. Brilliant men and women discover radioactivity, organize elements into the periodic table, figure out systems of taxonomic classification, and calculate everything from the weight of the earth to the weight of a quark. It's fascinating, almost breathtaking at times. I could go on and on, but I'll say this instead. If you have a nimble and open mind, a modicum of intelligence, and a healthy curiosity about yourself, the earth, the universe and most everything in it, this book is for you. Bravo, Mr. Bryson. Exceedingly well done.
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Summary: This author will be judged by God
Review: This book, and so many other horrible books, should not be allowed to be published or sold. It was written by a liberal who has been possessed by the Devil. Belief in, and a personal relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ is the only way to understand the truth about these things. The only book you need to read is the Bible. The Bible is 100% accurate and true, this laughable book is a book filled with horrible lies.
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Summary: You should read it!
Review: I'm interested in this kind of books, books about everything explained in few, plain and light words. My favorite author in this topics have been Carl Sagan, but now I think I found another source of wisdom. And the best of all, I enjoyed it. "Culture don't hurts"
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Summary: Infinitely entertaining
Review: If science isn't your area of expertise, but you find yourself fascinated when looking at the stars or through a microscope, this book is just right for you. It took me all of a day and a half to read: I just could not put it down. The subject matter could be dense at times, a fact Bryson himself acknowledges, but his ways of description are as unscientific as you can get (his apt use of describing the universe as "really, really, big"). Included in the book are several highly amusing anecdotes about competing scientists, useful background and, well, a short history of nearly everything. You don't have to be a scientist to appreciate this book (although a lot of scientists who have read this book despise its easy nature and glossing over important facts). Sit back and enjoy some fascinating facts about our world.
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