Rating: 
Summary: Minor flaws, but very readable and really fills a need
Review: I love the idea of a survey of the latest developments in science from a layman's viewpoint. Bryson has really put the time in to make this volume informative, and more than readable, fascinating. While this book is not really written in the humorous vein of Bryson's other work, it stands on its own very well. I enjoyed the trivia about many of the eccentric personalities of science, along with all the quirky coincidences and processes that have led to some of our most important discoveries. This is a book to be read again and again. Once it comes out in paperback, it'll even be a good beach read!It does trouble me that at least one urban legend surfaces here as fact: the myth of the "flowing" glass windows, which has been thoroughly debunked on several science websites. Somehow this one escaped Bryson's three years of research as well as the editorial process, which makes me wonder how much else in the volume may be more myth than fact (the environmental claims that many scientists dismiss?). However, Bryson's thorough and extensive notations and bibliography, not to mention his frequent comparisons of historical accounts, really show that in general the man has done his homework. Ever since Isaac Asimov's lamentable passing I've been hoping for someone to take up the torch of writing about science in a way that's readable and entertaining for non-scientists. Looks like Bryson is one candidate for the job! (I do know there are several well-regarded science writers out there - just haven't read 'em yet - so no disrespect meant towards Penrose, Winchester, et al.!)
Rating: 
Summary: Not Dumbed down. Gets you very excited about science.
Review: This book is the type of book that would inspire you to become a biologist or a geologist or an astronomer. From this book you are able to see bits and pieces of famous scientists lives and get a feeling by the end that its not all fun and games but at the same time it soooo very worth it to dedicate your life to the pursuit of furthering the knowledge of your fellow human beings and in some small way pushing our species in a positive direction. From reading this book you find out how all the knowledge from hundreds of years ago has become the basis of where we are today. This is conveyed extremely well to the audience. The other thing which is conveyed so very well is the power and destructive force of mother nature here on earth and in space. Parts of this book read better than seeing an end of the world movie because the author is so good at getting a vivid picture drawn in the reader's minds eye. This book is so good and so comprehensive I can see myself reading this over again. Thank you Bill Bryson for your hard, extensive research! Quite remarkable.
Rating:
Summary: Information for all ages
Review: This book is the best and most informative that I have ever read and witty to-boot. Bill has a cheeky sense of humour coupled with a total consideration for the un-initiated.
It is packed with facts and figures that are mind boggling at times. The 3 years research have certainly paid off. This book can be read by anyone over the age of 14 and should inspire any budding scientist of any persuasion. Cracking read!
Rating:
Summary: A Charming Tour of the Main Areas of Natural Science
Review: For those interested in an overview of natural science, this is the book! Bryson sugar coats the pill. Bryson has done a superb job of secondary research on the main subjects of modern science and distilled it for us lucky readers. Several other reviewers (e.g. istomtom) have pretty much summed it up. This long book is a brisk tour through most of the outstanding results of natural science, with some of its history, and stories about personalities added in for entertainment. Bryson is also very clear about where little or nothing is known and what still remains controversial among the experts. One important feature that no previous reviewers seemed to have mentioned is that Bryson has excellent footnotes, index, and bibliography. Something that is too often missing from recent books. These resources added immeasurably to the value of this book. This book is not only a good read but a useful source for ideas for further reading and research of one's own.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Book
Review: A Short History of Nearly Everything is a wonderful blend of science, history, politics, and psychology. The book delivers exactly what it promises, a text that allows you 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 that isn't entirely superficial either." Beginning at the beginning, Bryson starts with the dawn of the universe...the big bang. He impresses upon us the unimaginable vastness and grandeur of space, the unique series of coincidences and the miracle of our mere existence and then proceeds to chronicle the history of scientific discovery and hijinx that form our collective knowledge, notions and misconceptions about the universe. Throughout the book Bryson balances witty sarcasm with shear awe at the genius and the amazing coincidences that have advanced science and mankind. This is a must read for the intellectually curious.
Rating:
Summary: a short history of everything
Review: i can never remember reading a book so entertaining and informative and enjoying it so much that i decided to read it again immediately. it seems that the only people who didn't enjoy it were some scientists and then probably because it had been written by a travel expert, even though he had spent some 3 years researching it. this could be put down to jealously as they themselves could not encompass such a feat.
as far as i could tell, there are no major errors in this book, even though some of his views are controversial. but there is one glaring mistake that can be corrected for future editions: in the 4 bases for DNA, one is given as thiamine, which is vitamin B1 and hardly could be used as a strut for that structure. blame your proof reader, bill.
again, i enjoyed this book so much,i have given copies of it to my 5 kids. brian corrigan
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: An absolute must-have for the inquisitive mind. With such boundless informative facts and quirks about the everyday functions of not only our own processes, but of the entire world and beyond. Bryson explains (or attempts to at least highlight what little we actually know) about most generally unanswered questions regarding nature and the like, and successfully accomplishing to do so in an entertaining 'Dummy's How-To' fashion. A novel which can be read over and over, each time as surprising and interesting, revealing new facts and bringing forth new questions about the mystery of what is.
Rating:
Summary: A Man Said to the Universe
Review: Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" is beautifully written, very entertaining and highly informative. Bryson is not a scientist, but rather a curious and observant writer who, four or five years ago, realized that he couldn't tell a quark from a quasar, or a proton from a protein. Bryson set out to cure his ignorance of things scientific, and this book is the result. For readers who are new to science and its history, "A Short History of Nearly Everything" contains one remarkable revelation after another. You'll be amazed at how enormous, complex and just plain weird the world is and at how small a part humanity plays in it all. It's a humbling experience, a little reminscent of Stephen Crane's blank verse: "A man said to the Universe: 'Sir, I exist!' 'However,' replied the Universe, 'the fact has not created in me a sense of obligation.'" Just as engaging as the story of what we know is the parallel story of how we know it--from the first clever experiments to figure out things like how much the earth weighs to today's ongoing efforts to describe the origins of the universe itself, you come to appreciate that science is not an answer but a process, a way of learning about a world that always has one more trick up its sleeve. Whatever else may be said about the universe, Bryson explains that learning about its mysteries is a very human endeavor. And so his book is peppered with tales of the odd turns, like Percival Lowell, the astronomer who saw canals on Mars when in fact there are none (and whose initials figured in the naming of Pluto, the ninth planet); the Askesian Society, a learned 19th century body devoted to the study of laughing gas; and the knock-down, drag-out personal battles between scientists whose genius was rivaled only by their lack of civility. This is a superb book and a quick read despite weighing in at nearly 500 pages. If you enjoy "A Short History of Nearly Everything," I highly recommend for further reading Daniel Boorstin's "The Discoverers" and "The Creators" and Timothy Ferris' "Coming of Age in the Milky Way," all of which are elegant explorations of the history of science and how we have come to know what we think we know.
Rating:
Summary: Everything Explained
Review: From subatomic particles to tectonic plates to Pluto and then back again; Bryson covers it all. His goal is to help you and me understand (like the title says:) Nearly Everything. Every major science and the eccentric characters who built them are presented in a smooth and often hilarious tone. Bryson somehow makes reading about sediment a thrill. The first three-quarters of A Short History were highly entertaining, likely because Bryson dedicates as much time to the oddball scientists and their antics as to the science itself. In the latter chapters, the reading turns heavier, but that might be because there weren't so many colorful characters to focus on. That's not to say any part of the book was anything less than enlightening. A Short History shouldn't be missed.
Rating:
Summary: Great Layman's to Science - Past and Present
Review: As an engineer I've always been fascinated with science and turned off by bad science writing. Having a great writer like Bill Bryson write a history of scientific thought and discovery is just pure joy. Don't get me wrong - there are wonderful scientific writers out there but what Bill manages to do is bring a great number of different specialities under one roof and write about them consistently, interestingly and with great warmth. The book is really a short history of scientific discovery since the time of Newton. Bryson moves us seemlessly from topic to topic, always finding some interconnection - reminiscent in some respects of the classic James Burke TV show, "Connections". Bill is interested not only in the science but in the people who discovered it. And some of these people are not household names, they have been overlooked; their ideas stolen or unrecognized. Often an amazing degree of stupidity is involved on the part of the discoverer - publishing in provincial magazines that have nothing to do with the subject! There was one quote in the book that I found particularly appropro in this regard. I can't remember it exactly but it's something like, "First a scientific discovery is discredited; then it's significance is discredited; then the wrong person is credited". For me this was one of the best aspects of the book. Pretty much every scientific discovery was one I already knew about but the history of the scientists was refreshing. For instance, I knew about leaded gas and CFCs (of course, who doesn't) but I never knew that the same guy was responsible for both! It was reading about people like that which made this book so enjoyable; your view might vary: Some of the negative reviews feel the book was spoilt by this. This isn't always a comfortable book to read. For instance, the discussion about a massive volcano that sits hidden under Yellowstone National Park and is "past it's due date" and the discussion about being overdue for an asteroid attack gave me uncomfortable nights. To some extent we live in a bad age - we have discovered these things that could destroy us but we haven't yet figured out how to prevent them! Whether you are already familiar with scientific thought and history or not I think you'll find this to be a wonderful book.
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