A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

**EvilBoB** · 29th February 2012

I post all my reviews on my blog but will cross post them here from now on

Source : http://www.leeandgrace.co.uk/wordpre...y-bill-bryson/

In the past I have tried to read these kind of science-fact books and come unstuck with overly complex wording, mental equations and spend more time with my nose in a dictionary than actually reading the damned thing.
With this in mind I wasn�t sure I would like a book that alleges to tell the history of nearly everything! This seemed like a lot to take in but thought that if I can make it through this book the rest of the challenge should be a walk in the park.

Within 10 pages I was hooked. Bill Bryson�s methods of writing are just short of incredible. Even some of the more complex topics covers in this book (Genetics, The expansion of the universe etc.) are covered in a concise and meaningful way without having to resort to lengthy equations and mind numbing latin words � although the latin names or flora and fauna are used throughout the book it never becomes a chore to read even when the author lists twenty plus in a single block paragraph.

The author also manages to successfully input some humor into what should be a very dry subject. As the title of the book suggests this is a book on �nearly everything�. By this admission he covers a number of useful topics including the origins of man (The real origins, not The Bibles manifestation of how it used to be understood!), The sheer scale of the universe, ice ages and a whole lot more. If you have any interest in knowing about where we came from, how the Earth was �made� or how humanity can expect to die and don�t want to wade through uninteresting book after book written by people that have more letters after their name than words in the Oxford Dictionary then I would highly recommend this book to you.

Overall : 8/10