A Short History of Nearly Everything#

Bill Bryson (2004)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

When I first picked up this book, I was looking for a broad summary of human history — but what I got was something much larger. Bryson reaches all the way back to the Big Bang, guiding readers through geology, physics, biology, evolution, and more.

What makes the book memorable is how Bryson tells the story of scientific discovery through the scientists themselves. Many chapters feel like lively biographies threaded through lessons on chemistry, astronomy, or plate tectonics. It’s engaging, but it moves quickly — sometimes too quickly — hopping from one figure to the next across centuries.

It’s a fun and often enlightening read, but not something I expect to revisit soon.