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A Short History of Nearly Everything
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
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Publisher's Summary
A Short History of Nearly Everything is Bill Bryson’s quest to find out everything that has happened from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization - how we got from there, being nothing at all, to here, being us. His challenge is to take subjects that normally bore the pants off most of us and see if there isn't some way to render them comprehensible to people who have never thought they could be interested in science.
It's not so much about what we know, as about how we know what we know. How do we know what is in the centre of the Earth, or what a black hole is, or where the continents were 600 million years ago? How did anyone ever figure these things out?
On his travels through time and space, Bill Bryson takes us with him on the ultimate eye-opening journey and reveals the world in a way most of us have never seen it before.
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What listeners say about A Short History of Nearly Everything
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- Auzzie
- 09-10-2018
not bad.
not bad. true to subject. theres better. my fifteen words are nearly up. nearly up. finally.
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2 people found this helpful
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- zenihama
- 02-10-2017
Educational and awe-inspiring
Bill Bryson has gathered an astonishing amount of information for this "short history". He has then managed the remarkable feat of presenting it in a way that is readily accessible to a general audience.
It was a pleasure to listen to it and be reminded of how much we know as well as how much we don't know about (to quote Douglas Adams) "Life, The Universe and Everything".
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2 people found this helpful
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- Josh
- 01-02-2024
Devastated that it’s abridged
Bill Bryson has one of the most soothing yet humorous voices ever, and hearing him read his books is a pleasure. The content is great, however did seem strangely concise for a history of EVERYTHING. Was devastated to learn that this is an abridged version, while yes technically it was in the fine print, it was by no means prominently displayed (looking at you Jeff). There is an 18 hour version (compared to this 5ish) but the narrator, though I’m sure lovely, cannot hold a candle to the author. As such 3 stars overall for the disappointment, but performance and story on point. I can only implore Bill to bring out the unabridged version, at which point he shall surely get a second sale.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 23-12-2018
An aptly titled book.
As the title suggests, this short book covers a multitude of interesting topics. So much so that it is often an information overload. I have a feeling I'll be listening to this one 2 or 3 more times at least.
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1 person found this helpful
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- GravyBain
- 06-06-2023
Stop!
Watch out. This is the much shorter abridged version. Not the one that you want.
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Overall
- jb_phoenix
- 25-01-2023
nice
loved it easy to follow and listen to. covered all subjects and well researched
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- Anonymous User
- 21-06-2022
A joy as always
The only thing greater than reading Bill Bryson is hearing him in his own words.
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- Hayden
- 16-05-2022
Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!
This wonderful book has taught me more about Science and the history of humankind than the 13 years I spent at school.
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- Jakob
- 01-06-2021
very interesting
couldn't put it down, if you like science, history and are generally curious this is a must.
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- Anonymous User
- 06-10-2020
Spectacular
Being able to laugh through a book about the sciences’ many forms since the beginning of science and beyond was something I only thought possible if I were laughing at myself for lack of understanding. This is both brilliantly written and narrated. Engaging, informative, well researched and witty. In awe and humility, I give this eye opener a score of 11/10. Absolute pleasure.
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