Rating: 
Summary: Should be renamed "A Short History of the Sciences"...
Review: 'cuz that's exactly what it is. Here's an exploration of astronomy, biology, anthropolgy and more. The nice thing is Bryson approaches the material as a "non-science" person looking for explanations in layman's terms. At more than 450 pages, this book reads rather swiftly. Bryson's dry wit and tongue-in-cheekness, abundantly found in his travel narratives, is sorely missed in a book on a subject that can really use it. There are chapters that are a struggle to get through even with the "dumbed-down" writing, but I fault this reader for never finding the subjet of chemistry very interesting in the first place. But the idea that Yellowstone Nat'l. Park is a ticking timebomb just waiting to explode is a fascinating (if not overly-apocalyptic) fact. There's really some great stuff in here. A recommended purchase for all "non-science" types.
Rating:
Summary: Good
Review: Good book in typical Bryson fashion, but a little heavy on the biographical information. You'll learn a lot about the sciences and the like, but even more (too much) about the men who did the work. But the book is interesting and not full of trivia style information, though it isnt' exactly a "layman's guide to science."
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable
Review: An enjoyable and informative book by an entertaining writer who knows his craft. Not tremendously profound, but a fun read, and we need a bit of fun at the moment. I hope Bryson keeps turning them out.
Rating: 
Summary: Dense
Review: This is a truly dense book. I doubt it is possible to cram any more information into 470 or so pages. In college I took a course entitled "Physics for Poets." This is a sceince book with the same intent - science for the non-scientific. It covers everything from the history of the universe to atom construction to the history of living things to human development, etc., etc.I found the book inconsistent. The first third is a history of scientific discovery. On top of telling the story, Mr. Bryson adds amusing anecdotal information about nearly every scientist named. At times these digressions got too far off point and I found I had to go back to remind myself of the topic being covered. Very often, Mr. Bryson would spend an inordinate amount of time describing scientific theories that were proven false. Occasionally these were interesting. Many times, however, I felt they were added only for humorous effect and did not add to the book.
Later in the book, it is straight science. Perhaps it is my liberal arts bent, but I found much of this to be tedious. This book is hard work. It began as history and ended as dry, often complex science. The best part of the book is that it relates how little we actually do know about our world, its history, atomic structure, and really every scientific field. The title perhaps should have been "The More we Know Tells Us How Much We Don't Know." That is the best lesson learned from getting through Mr. Bryson's epic tome.
Rating: 
Summary: Armchair Traveler Develops Genius of Rocket-Scientist!
Review: When I picked up "A Short History of Nearly Everything" I had abosolutely no idea what to expect. As a travel junkie who can rarely afford to travel myself, I grab Bill Bryson's books whenever I can with great enthusiasm. His keen wit in presenting characters and scenes is unparalleled, and in this new romp (in which he narrates a journey through not just a county but through the scientific world as well as space and time) he is in top form. Bryson's everyman prose makes the mysteries of scientific thought interesting, understandable, and funny. The book begins with the building blocks of the universe and works its way slowly down through the smaller mysteries such as life on earth and why human beings even exist. However, the science of the work does not become overwhelming to the lay-reader and Bryson maintains an admirable sense of wonder and joy throughout. And, of course, the text is delightfully littered with anecdotes about the men and women who have dedicated themselves to discovering and defining these mysteries. Both living and dead, these men and women take on life that leaps off the pages, making them feel like old friends. And from the comfort of your favorite reading spot, you feel like you could be sharing a pint with them and Bill in a cozy pub somewhere. I recommend this book to anyone who has a inclination for pondering the large questions of life but who is equally interested in keeping his or her sense of humor and sanity in tact.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: There are already 110 reviews written about this book. I don't want to rehash the premise of the book or tell you specifics of what you'll find within the chapters. Reviewers have already done that. However, having just finished this book and being blown away at how incredible scientists are and how complex the history of our world truly is, I felt that I must share my two cents. I cannot recommend this book enough. I come away with a new appreciation for my high school biology and chemistry teachers, two subjects I absolutely despised at the time. Thanks to Bryson, I can revisit these subjects among others as an adult and see them in a truly different light. Thank you for your three years of hard and diligent work, Mr. Bryson.
Rating:
Summary: A true gem
Review: About half way through the book I starting trying to think of people to whom I would reccomend it. I realized that pretty much everybody I know would enjoy this book. Anyone familiar with Bryson knows that he tends to wander off topic from time to time, but his writing is so fun and easy that if you happen to even notice that he's wandered, you won't care. I can't think of another time when I've been so dissapointed to see that I'd turned to the last page b/c I wanted more.
Rating:
Summary: A+
Review: Bill Bryson is a travel writer par excellence. He's transported us to such widely separated locales as Britain, Australia, Africa, and the Appalachian Mountains. And his laid back, humorous style is always a pleasure to read. In A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING, Bill expands his horizons to ... well, nearly everything, from the Universe to the atoms that make it up. In between, he chats about the potential for catastrophic volcanic eruptions and meteor strikes, Einstein's theories, cellular biology, the evolution of life on Earth and Man in particular, the Periodic Table of the Elements, glaciation, quantum mechanics, the currents and depths of the world's oceans, continental drift, subatomic particles, the Big Bang Theory, the Earth's layers and core, the development of Chemistry and Geology, the fossil record, the atmosphere, mass extinctions, DNA, and so much more. In the Introduction, Bryson admits that he didn't know much about the planet he lives on. So, he spent three years researching and interviewing so he could tell us all about it. What has resulted is a thoroughly enjoyable work of popular science that provides food for thought and imagination. And the stuff that party trivia questions are made of. Did you know that perhaps 10% of a 6-year old pillow's weight is made up of "sloughed skin, living mites, dead mites, and mite dung"? Or that there are six feet of DNA squeezed into every cell of your body - about twenty million kilometers worth? Or that the Human Genome Project suggests that there are about 35,000 to 40,000 human genes - roughly the same number found in grass? Or that the element Francium is so rare that there may only be twenty atoms of it on the entire Earth at any one time? Or that Madame Curie's notebooks are still so radioactive that they're stored in a lead box? What I find amazing is that the author managed to learn so much about a whole lot in so short a time. I mean, he includes thirty-eight pages of Notes and a ten-page Bibliography. I'm reminded of the high school term papers I struggled through, albeit less grandiose in scope and accomplishment. Bill, you get an A+ on this one. Go to the head of the class.
Rating:
Summary: Unputdownable
Review: Who would have thought that a book on physics and chemistry (among much else) which was such drudgery at school would be so unputdownable!! Went into it thinking it would be an interesting read but ended up having my life revolve around it for two days...even taking it to the beach. Not just fascinating but quite inspiring to think how lucky we are as humans to be here at all. And really admired the level of research and objective presentation of competing theories, as well as the insight into the interesting (to put it mildly) characters in science. Even if you're not science minded you'd be hard pressed not to enjoy it. Thanks Bill Bryson for a smashing book!
Rating:
Summary: Are we the Alpha, or the Omerga?
Review: A stream of consciousness look at the factual events of which we know, as well as a longing for the facts we can never know, Bryson weaves a sing-song look at some our most complex history, biology, and science. He radiates an expertise that adds comfort and believability; yet he admits and illustrates the fallacy our intermittent knowledge and incomplete histories. There is wonderment and curiosity throughout. Worth easy listening, and serious contemplation.
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