Bill Bryson has also written several highly praised books on the English language, including Mother Tongue and Made in America. Did you know you are alive, but are made up of substance that is not quite that, “troubling fact that if you were to pick yourself apart with tweezers, one atom at a time, you would produce a mound of fine atomic dust, none of which had ever been alive but all of which had once been you. Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" seemed perfect, but when I started reading that, it soon turned out it wasn't quite simple enough for my poor little brain. It is a brilliant source of information, and if you are curious, you can use this book to answer many of your questions about science!

Remember, “If you burned this book now, its matter would be changed to ash and smoke, but the total amount of ‘stuff’ in the universe would be the same. Some of it was, of course, and even if some things were vaguely familiar, I've never fully understood them, so it was good to have a simple, concise introduction to them.

Bill Bryson wrote this book because he was dissatisfied with his scientific knowledge—that was, not much at all. Other travel books include the massive bestseller Notes From a Small Island, which won the 2003 World Book Day National Poll to find the book which best represented modern England, followed by A Walk in the Woods (in which Stephen Katz, his travel companion from Neither Here Nor There, made a welcome reappearance), Notes From a Big Country and Down Under. It is also fun in many ways, using humor and illustrations to explore a topic and make learning interesting. Los humanos conductualmente modernos llevamos por aquí sólo un 0,0001 % más o menos de la historia de la Tierra…, casi nada, en realidad, pero incluso existir durante ese breve espacio de tiempo ha exigido una cadena casi interminable de buena suerte. Bryson’s writing is witty and entertaining but he still packs tons of information into relatively small paragraphs.

His bestselling books include The Road to Little Dribbling, Notes from a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods, One Summer and The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. Curiously, this little wonder does leave you feeling that one person truly can make a difference -- whether for good or evil. If I had to criticize this book for something, I'd say there is a bit of a incongruence between the YA label and Bryson the narrative's tone.The "Grown-Ups" version is one of my favourite non-fiction books, so reading the children's version to my 6 and 8 year olds as bedtime reading was a no-brainer. The last few articles, "chapters" or topics about animal extinction, overpopulation, global warming and pollution were a bit of a downer; especially for my little artist who took the death and loss of animals and the effect of pollution on "their world" pretty hard.

Few books have been as influential on my life as Bill Bryson’s A Very Brief History of Nearly Everything. Rather, space curves in a way which allows it to have no actual edge or boundary, but at the same time allows it to be finite” Words do that as they can bring us to places that we can’t imagine imagining. Every atom you possess has almost certainly passed through several stars and been part of millions of organisms on its way to becoming you. Uncover the mysteries of time, space and life on earth in this extraordinary book - a journey from the centre of the planet, to the dawn of the dinosaurs, and everything in between.

I find it difficult to stick with a book when every 2 pages it feels as if you're starting something new. Her lab books are kept in lead-lined boxes and those who wish to see them must put on protective clothing. This history of life, the universe and everything in between is entertaining and Bryson is an excellent guide. Everyone needs more understanding of the world around us and the history of science is sadly neglected in our schools ('much more important than the history of monarchs).

Only about half of the book really engaged them and then only about a quarter was understood, but this still means that they've learnt heaps. In it, he explores time from the Big Bang to the discovery of quantum mechanics, via evolution and geology.His new book The Body: A Guide for Occupants was shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prize and is an international bestseller. More thinking, more learning, more questions – luckily there are plenty of answers as well, useful reminders, and even lessons to learn. I can't say I understand everything perfectly, but Bryson explains it all well enough and it's never tedious. Weighing in at a mere 168 pages, this is an abridged, illustrated version of his meatier and much longer book with the slightly different title.