Great book about science and the world. Filled with little nuggets of information ranging from arcane bits of science to lesser known facts about the personalities involved.

All written breezily and engagingly by Bill Bryson, better known for his travelogues. Consider this a travelogue on science and enjoy the ride!

This book is an eye opener, not to mention particularly funny. It answers many of the questions that you’ve likely had, but been embarrassed to ask.

I’ve wanted a book like this for a while. The author has a clear, engaging style; he assumes that the reader is smart and curious, and delivers a lot of information in compact yet conversational prose.

I’ve been a Bryson fan for a long time now, and despite his admission of not being very aware of a lot of the genre of work he writes about, you’d never know it!

Loved it, not just because it is a shot history of nearly everything, but because that history is populated by such interesting characters, and Bryson brings them to life.

“There’s not much between us and oblivion.” Nice!

I’ve been reading this book for probably close to a year-and-a-half… it’s an outstanding look at complicated scientific concepts in laymen’s language, but it’s still one of those “heavy” books that takes a while to get through.

I’d file this wonderful volume under “Science for Poets.”

This book is so well-written, both engaging and extremely educational, it could be used in high schools to supplement actual textbooks and excite students about the history of science and the natural world. Bill Bryson has reached a new level with his writing.

Written with Bryson’s usual humour, this book is both informative and entertaining.

I loved this book. I learned a ton and enjoyed doing it.

Good stuff. Great, at times.

Fantastic

fact filled book

This was a great book, written in Bryson’s typically entertaining and engaging style. It did a good job of making science seem more relevant and accessible, but there was so much information packed in the book that it took me a long time to read; at some parts, I couldn’t read more than four or five pages at a time.

Written with Bryson’s usual humour, this book is both informative and entertaining.

Amazing! Can’t wait to reread it. He really covers everything of the physical sciences, with a style and a humorous slant that I greatly enjoyed.

This was my introduction to Bryson. Read some of his travel-books afterwards, which I can also heartily recommend.

(listening to the audible.com version on mp3)

(completed 2004/01/08)

(gonna listen to it soon on audible.com)

Looking forward to this: Bill Bryson is normally pretty entertaining.

Not this time…dull and boring! He should stick to travel writing.