I’ve just completed A Short History of Nearly Everything, after having plenty of time stuck at Birmingham New Street to read it. Basically it is an ‘easy to understand’ explanation of many scientific discoveries and theories on a huge varying subject matter, from the big bang theory, to the discovery of atoms, to the birth of life and evolution and many more inbetween. Somehow, despite the realms of things to be explained Bryson manages to keep a lively sustained narrative, Mainly I think because as well as all the science Bryson also finds time to tell you about the personalities involved in each discovery. This helps to keep up interest in the book and keeps the whole book from being just another dry science book.
The level of science involved is I feel of about an a-level standard, although it’s hard to quantify however I do think that pretty much everyone will come away from this book having learned at least a few new facts.
I really enjoyed this book, and I think that anyone with an inquisitive mind will also enjoy it. If you want to find out how people weigh the earth, know how old the universe is or what the centre of the earth looks like, then this book is for you.
Dean Sas 