A Short History of Nearly Everything

In his new book, A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson takes readers on a journey through time in search of the great scientific discoveries that have led to the current understanding of the universe and our place in it. From the Big Bang to quantum mechanics to string theory, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. To this end, he has attached himself to a host of the world’s most advanced scientists in fields such as cosmology, archaeology, and mathematics, traveling 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.