Rating: 
Summary: Where is the glue ?
Review: This book contains many very intresting topics related to the history of science, and (depending on the reader's back-ground) will make you discover many new facts, or at least refresh your memory from school. But it was not able to keep my level of attention at the maximum level all the time, because:1) The author sometimes burries the reader into too many names and dates, just summarizing references without always making a point in the story of the chapter 2) The author sometimes assumes the reader is really stupid - by trying to put the scale of things in a difference perpsective, for the zillionst time. 3) The auhtor makes mistakes. I'm not a specialist, but got at least 2 mistakes out of the book. Reading other reviews, I can only assume there are many more. 4) Most important, I sometimes missed the glue in this book. What is the book actually about ? Why does he cover some subjects, but not talk about very related subjects ? Why does he cover tons of history during the 18th-20th century, but forget about the rest of our scientific history ? As a result, the book is not really a "story" and not really a "reference book" either. It's somewhere in nomansland in between. I still give the book 3 stars because I was able to finish it (...) and because I will remember many facts as a result of the easy-reading language used in the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Enchanting Knowledge
Review: This truly enchanging book covers everything from the expanding universe to the smallest building blocks of matter. Scientists are not only noted for their accomplishments, but personalized. Bryson explains the most complex notions in a manner at the same time consise, memorable, understandable, intriguing and amusing. It will be THE science textbook in my household.
Rating:
Summary: simply excellent
Review: Think about everything that must have happened since the dawn of the creation of the universe in order for life to exist and for humans to have come into being. Now, how much do you actually know about what went on? From the Big Bang to the creation of our planet to human life, there are many things that had to happen in order for it to all come out the way that it did. Bill Bryson started out with the understanding that he knew very little about this planet and how everything works. Since Bryson could barely read the science textbooks from his youth (they were that boring), he decided to go to the experts in various fields of study to find out what they knew about the universe and our planet and just as importantly, how they know what they know. The result is this book. Bill Bryson takes us on a journey starting with the origins of the universe and what science knows about it and how scientists have come to this knowledge. Bryson tells us about what we need to know to understand the larger concepts in this book but does not go into such minute detail that we are overwhelmed. Bryson combines a smooth, easy writing style with wit and humor and presents us with the story of our planet. Bryson takes us from the dawn of the Big Bang through primordial life on Earth through the evolution of the species right up into the beginnings of human civilization. The story is well told with scientific information but also with the stories of the scientists themselves and the circumstances of their lives and how they came to discover the previously hidden secrets of our planet. While the paragraphs on the scientists may seem like digression, I found it to be vital to the book because this reveals how and why scientists believe what they do and what theories have been discarded and what sort of struggle there was for a particular theory to be accepted. "A Short History of Nearly Everything" is a fairly long book and comes in at approximately 500 pages in hardcover format. It is packed with a lot of information, though in a highly readable form. The book is an investment in time, but I think that it is a time investment well worth making (despite the fact that by the end of the book I had a difficult time remembering things from the beginning of it). Excellent book. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully readable and entertaining
Review: This is a great, understandable survey of the history of the greatest scientific discoveries. You will enjoy this immensely. When Bryson gets to modern physics, however, I begin to think that super string theories, alternate dimensions, etc., are all baloney. If science is relying on evidence and not opinion, I will need to see the evidence before I believe that there are alternate universes co-existing with this one. I will not accept that on faith alone.
Rating:
Summary: Science made enjoyable
Review: This very interesting book has a split personality. It helps those without a scientific background gain an appreciation of scientific theory and facts, but also help the reader gain an appreciation of the various personalities of the scientist involved with these varied areas of study. The subject matter is presented in a way that even those that struggled in high school science can gain a great deal by its reading. At nearly 500 pages, there is something here that will interest nearly everyone. The wide range of the scientific topics that Bryson embraces is astounding. The smallest living entities and far away galaxies are included in this work. The beauty of his prose makes even the onslaught of scientific numbers digestible and entertaining. Perhaps his thoroughness is an offshoot of the travel guides he has written. He ambles through the speculations about the earth's past and scientific prognostications on its future. For the faint of heart, skip the sections about asteroids striking the earth or the coming ice ages. It is in the descriptions of the scientist that this book really shines. The idiosyncrasies of the people are at times wondrous and amusing. The profiles of the well known and unknown are here and are equally fascinating. I heard Bryson recount on CSPAN the interesting story of a French Astronomer attempting to track the transit of Venus and decided to get the book. There were many more stories of vanity, determined pursuit, treachery of co-workers, stubborn maintainers of the status quo and profound achievement here. It was almost as if the people who created the VH-1 Behind the Music series decided to focus on scientists instead of musicians (except there were no gratuitous drug use or groupies). I found it fascinating to do an image search on google to see the faces of some of the scientists mentioned in the book like Fritz Zwicky and James Watson.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This is probably the best book on science I have ever read (and trust me, I've read many). Absolutely exceptional! Bryson has an incredible talent to explain the inexplicable and make public the obscure. Fantastic book, worth every penny.
Rating:
Summary: The best book ever
Review: The other reviewers have pretty much said it all. I just wish there were books like this when I was a young kid (or even when I was in college). Bryson is an amazing writer. He touches on all of the major areas of science and science history, but the star of this book is not the subject matter, it's the manner in which the story is told. Impossible to put down, this book will grip you and hold you from start to finish. I stopped reading it 50 pages from the end because I did not want it to end (that abstinence lasted all of two days). I've read some excellent books in my 39 years, but this is, without question, the best book of any type that I've ever read. Absolutely phenomenal.
Rating:
Summary: VERY readable
Review: The problem with most books of this sort is their dryness. Ever try to get through a Stephen Hawking book? Then you know what I mean. Bryson is witty and engaging and links together discoveries over the ages that have led us to where we are today. Great reading and very illuminating - makes me want to learn more! This one is a keeper. I usually read and relist and sell here, but this one I'm keeping for future reference!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I am a high school science teacher and have been using this book to give our students an overview of many areas of science. They love it. And it really gives them a good background for more in depth reading. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A fresh look at science
Review: As the other reviews state, this book is an excellent and comprehensive work on virtually all aspects of science. The book also gives interesting anecdotes of the history of how science came to be -- the people, the rivalries, the mistakes, etc. The book is written in Bryson's typical witty and entertaining style. One last thing to note: the book has a spectacular bibliography listing all of the sources Bryson used for research. This bibliography can be used to find further, more in-depth works to look into topics of personal interest. The bibliography alone is worth the cost of the book.
| 
