A Short History of Nearly Everything

Bill Bryson

Feb 2003 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Richard Matthews

About this audiobook

One of the world’s most beloved and bestselling writers takes his ultimate journey -- into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer.

In A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson trekked the Appalachian Trail -- well, most of it. In In A Sunburned Country, he confronted some of the most lethal wildlife Australia has to offer. Now, in his biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand -- and, if possible, answer -- the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. To that end, he has attached himself to a host of the world’s most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians, travelling to their offices, laboratories, and field camps. He has read (or tried to read) their books, pestered them with questions, apprenticed himself to their powerful minds. A Short History of Nearly Everything is the record of this quest, and it is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it. Science has never been more involving or entertaining.

Ratings and reviews

The only audio book I listen to repeatedly. There's so much subtle humor found in examining the stories of scientific discoveries and the history of the universe (and more specifically, planet earth).

I think this book should be a required read or listen for all. Just some basic knowledge of our science! I have listened to this 3 times already.

This time a history buff I think Mr Bryson that actually you are the perfect match of intelligence and readability for a public that doesn't bore easily.

About the author

Bill Bryson’s bestselling books include A Walk in the Woods (a major motion picture starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte released in 2015), Notes from a Small Island, and A Short History of Nearly Everything (which earned him the 2004 Aventis Prize). He lives in England with his wife. To learn more, visit billbrysonbooks.com.

Richard Matthews is a performer who has narrated many audiobooks, including A Short History of Nearly Everything, 1984, and The Count of Monte Cristo.