There aren't many authors that I have met in my life. Not puclished ones, anyway. But one I have most definitely met, and shaken hands with, is Bill Bryson. I may have mentioned this once or twice. I also have really enjoyed those of his works I've read, be they travelogues, memoirs or explorations into language. Science has never really been my strong point, whatever my GCSEs might falsely lead you to believe. If only it had all been as interesting as A Short History of Nearly Everything.
And that's exactly what it was: interesting. It was well-written, filled with fascinating characters and anecdotes and the wonders of life, the universe and everything. A far cry from dull, bland textbooks which teach the black and white facts and theories but without the colour to bring them to life. That's what this book does and does it very well. Covering biology, physics, chemistry and various offshoots of the Big Three, it stretches all the way back to the Year Dot and right through to What We Know Right Now.
For me, what was so good was that it had personality, both the writing and the people who were mentioned. In essence it's a history of science, so maybe it's the historian in me that was appreciating that aspect. Equally, the reader in me probably just appreciated the fact it's well-written, informative and interesting. One thing I found particularly interesting was how ideas and theories came about and when. Many ideas and technologies were a lot older than I had thought and yet at the same time some things which I have taken for granted because they have always been recognised as facts or 'the truth' throughout my lifetime, have only relatively recently become accepted gospel. It's clearly well-researched and it's pretty hefty. It also probably won't find its way onto any school curriculums any time soon either. Which is a pity, because it did something that didn't happen that often at school for me – it made science interesting.
Book number: 52
Title: A Short History of Nearly Everything
Author: Bill Bryson
Category: Non-fiction
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