A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0

Hugely readable and never obfuscating. * The Sunday Times *This most enjoyable of books … A travelogue of science, with a witty, engaging, and well-informed guide. * The Times *Bill Bryson has an unmatched gift for explaining the most difficult subjects in the clearest possible way. * Mail on Sunday *Mr Bryson has a natural gift for clear and vivid expression. I doubt that a better book for the layman about the findings of modern science has been written. * Telegraph *A fascinating idea, and I can’t think of many writers, other than Bryson, who would do it this well. It’s the sort of book I would have devoured as a teenager. It might well turn unsuspecting young readers into scientists. * Evening Standard *A genuinely useful and readable book. There is a phenomenal amount of fascinating information packed between its covers … A thoroughly enjoyable, as well as educational, experience. Nobody who reads it will ever look at the world around them in the same way again * Daily Express *The very book I have been looking for most of my life… Bryson wears his knowledge with aplomb and a lot of very good jokes. * Daily Mail *Of course, there are people much better qualified than Bill Bryson to attempt a project of this magnitude. None of them, however, can write fluent Brysonese, which, as pretty much the entire Western reading public now knows, is an appealing mixture of self-deprecation, wryness and punnery. * The Spectator *Lucid, thoughtful and, above all, entertaining. * The Scotsman *

Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. 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. In a national poll, Notes from a Small Island was voted the book that best represents Britain. His acclaimed work of popular science, A Short History of Nearly Everything, won the Aventis Prize and the Descartes Prize, and is the biggest selling non-fiction book of the 21st century. The Body- A Guide for Occupants was shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prize and is an international bestseller.

Bill Bryson was Chancellor of Durham University 2005-2011. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society. He lives in England.