Bill Bryson has journeyed the Appalachian Trail, wandered across Australia, and survived encounters with the quirks of nature and humanity. But his most ambitious adventure takes place on an even larger scale: the quest to understand the universe itself—and our place within it. In A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bryson tackles the oldest and biggest questions humans have ever asked, from the origins of the cosmos to the rise of civilization. Along the way, he immerses himself in the worlds of archaeologists, anthropologists, chemists, and physicists—pestering them with questions, poring over their research, and translating their discoveries into something both accessible and delightful. With his signature wit, curiosity, and gift for storytelling, Bryson turns complex science into a captivating narrative. He guides us from the mysteries of the Big Bang to the intricate workings of DNA, from the vastness of galaxies to the fragile miracle of life on Earth. The result is a journey through human knowledge that is as entertaining as it is enlightening. Profound, funny, and endlessly fascinating, A Short History of Nearly Everything makes science not just understandable, but irresistible.
