A Really Short History of Nearly Everything

"Written with his inimitable style and humour let loose upon who we are, how we got here and the systems that support us which is all beautifully illustrated" (Publishing News)

"This history of life, the universe and everything in between is entertaining and Bryson is an excellent guide. Great for the kids and good for parents, too." (Sunday Express)

"The incomparable Bill Bryson travels through time to bring bite-sized nuggets of information to the younger readers" (Angels and Urchins)

"A great gift and one that will bear dipping into many a time as children discover more about their world and the universe" (Eastern Press)

"Lively and enticing" (Spectator)

Bill's own fascination with science began with a battered old schoolbook he had when he was about ten or eleven years old in America. It had an illustration that captivated him - a cutaway diagram showing Earth's interior as it would look if you cut into it with a large knife and carefully removed about a quarter of its bulk. And he very clearly remembers thinking: "How do they know that?"

Bill's story-telling skill makes the "How?" and, just as importantly, the "Who?" of scientific discovery entertaining and accessible for all ages. In this exciting edition for younger readers, he covers the wonder and mysteries of time and space, the frequently bizarre and often obsessive scientists and the methods they used, the crackpot theories which held sway for far too long, the extraordinary accidental discoveries which suddenly advanced whole areas of science when the people were actually looking for something else (or in the wrong direction) and the mind-boggling fact that, somehow, the universe exists and, against all odds, life came to be on this wondrous planet we call home.