Bryson will never cease to be funny (A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson)

Member Name: jboho

Product:	A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson
Date:	11/05/09 (15 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great funny take on science in general

Disadvantages: None

A parody on possibly the greatest modern scientific book ever written, A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking, Bill Bryson shows off his scientific knowledge in a very entertaining manner.

As the title suggests, nearly every scientific aspect is covered, from Newton's laws to Schrödinger's cat. And comparing it to Hawking's book, the writing is much more aimed at the layman audience.
The approach, too, is very well thought out, Bryson places scientific discoveries in chronological order, starting with the basic structure of the universe, then proceeding to Earthly matters.

The book ends on a fantastic view on the brilliance and the failures of humanity in general, taking our ancient ancestors to (scarily) accurately personify us all. And in true Bryson form, it has you laughing uncontrollably at the satirical generalisation of the human race.

This does go for the rest of the book too, as well as presenting the facts and discoveries, Bryson goes where few scientists have dared go before- the land of the joke. It is a huge breath of fresh air to see such a wordy/numbery subject taken in such a light- hearted way.

Summary: If you want a basic, readable introduction to sciences, read this book.