Bill Bryson - Böcker

In this fully revised and updated edition of the best-selling popular science book of the 21st century, Bill Bryson makes complex subjects clear and compelling for everyone with an interest in the world around them. NOW FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED.'Possibly the best scientific primer ever published.' Economist'Truly impressive...It's hard to imagine a better rough guide to science.' GuardianBill Bryson can't contain his curiosity about the world around him. A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0 is the result of his quest to understand everything that has happened from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization - how we got from being nothing at all to what we are today. Now fully updated to reflect the many scientific discoveries in the last twenty years since this book was first published, it explains among much else:

why Pluto is no longer a planethow the number of moons in the solar system has more than doubled in 20 yearshow scientists used advances in genetics to discover previously unknown species of early humanswhy we still don't know what most of the universe is made ofhow the little Higgs boson transformed physics

This journey through time and space will inform a new generation of readers, young and old, as well as those who read this book on first publication with a new perspective based on what we know now.Written in his inimitable style, Bryson makes complex subjects fascinating and accessible to everyone with an interest in the world around them.A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0 reveals the world in a whole new way.Praise for A Short History of Nearly Everything:'I doubt that a better book for the layman about the findings of modern science has been written.' Sunday Telegraph'Bill Bryson has an unmatched gift for explaining the most difficult subjects in the clearest possible way.' Mail on Sunday'A travelogue of science, with a witty, engaging, and well-informed guide' The Times'Hugely readable and never obfuscating.' Sunday Times'A genuinely useful and readable book... 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'Destined to become a modern classic of science writing' The New York Times

The ultimate eye-opening journey through time and space, A Short History of Nearly Everything is the biggest-selling popular science book of the 21st century and has sold over 2 million copies.'Possibly the best scientific primer ever published.' Economist'Truly impressive...It's hard to imagine a better rough guide to science.' Guardian'A travelogue of science, with a witty, engaging, and well-informed guide' The TimesBill Bryson describes himself as a reluctant traveller, but even when he stays safely at home he can't contain his curiosity about the world around him. A Short History of Nearly Everything is his quest to understand everything that has happened from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization - how we got from there, being nothing at all, to here, being us.Bill Bryson's challenge is to take subjects that normally bore the pants off most of us, like geology, chemistry and particle physics, and see if there isn't some way to render them comprehensible to people who have never thought they could be interested in science. As a result, A Short History of Nearly Everything reveals the world in a way most of us have never seen it before.

In this fully revised and updated edition of the best-selling popular science book of the 21st century, Bill Bryson makes complex subjects clear and compelling for everyone with an interest in the world around them. NOW FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED.'Possibly the best scientific primer ever published.' Economist'Truly impressive...It's hard to imagine a better rough guide to science.' GuardianBill Bryson can't contain his curiosity about the world around him. A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0 is the result of his quest to understand everything that has happened from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization – how we got from being nothing at all to what we are today. Now fully updated to reflect the many scientific discoveries in the last twenty years since this book was first published, it explains among much else:why Pluto is no longer a planethow the number of moons in the solar system has more than doubled in 20 yearshow scientists used advances in genetics to discover previously unknown species of early humanswhy we still don't know what most of the universe is made ofhow the little Higgs boson transformed physicsThis journey through time and space will inform a new generation of readers, young and old, as well as those who read this book on first publication with a new perspective based on what we know now.Written in his inimitable style, Bryson makes complex subjects fascinating and accessible to everyone with an interest in the world around them.A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0 reveals the world in a whole new way.Praise for A Short History of Nearly Everything:‘I doubt that a better book for the layman about the findings of modern science has been written.’ Sunday Telegraph‘Bill Bryson has an unmatched gift for explaining the most difficult subjects in the clearest possible way.’ Mail on Sunday'A travelogue of science, with a witty, engaging, and well-informed guide' The Times‘Hugely readable and never obfuscating.’ Sunday Times‘A genuinely useful and readable book... 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‘Destined to become a modern classic of science writing’ The New York Times

In At Home, Bill Bryson applies the same irrepressible curiosity, irresistible wit, stylish prose and masterful storytelling that made A Short History of Nearly Everything one of the most lauded books of the last decade, and delivers one of the most entertaining and illuminating books ever written about the history of the way we live. Bill Bryson was struck one day by the thought that we devote a lot more time to studying the battles and wars of history than to considering what history really consists of: centuries of people quietly going about their daily business - eating, sleeping and merely endeavouring to get more comfortable. And that most of the key discoveries for humankind can be found in the very fabric of the houses in which we live.This inspired him to start a journey around his own house, an old rectory in Norfolk, wandering from room to room considering how the ordinary things in life came to be. Along the way he did a prodigious amount of research on the history of anything and everything, from architecture to electricity, from food preservation to epidemics, from the spice trade to the Eiffel Tower, from crinolines to toilets; and on the brilliant, creative and often eccentric minds behind them. And he discovered that, although there may seem to be nothing as unremarkable as our domestic lives, there is a huge amount of history, interest and excitement - and even a little danger - lurking in the corners of every home.

'Short of doing it yourself, the best way of escaping into nature is to read a book like A Walk in the Woods.' New York TimesIn the company of his friend Stephen Katz (last seen in the bestselling Neither Here nor There), Bill Bryson set off to hike the Appalachian Trail, the longest continuous footpath in the world. Ahead lay almost 2,200 miles of remote mountain wilderness filled with bears, moose, bobcats, rattlesnakes, poisonous plants, disease-bearing tics, the occasional chuckling murderer and - perhaps most alarming of all - people whose favourite pastime is discussing the relative merits of the external-frame backpack.Facing savage weather, merciless insects, unreliable maps and a fickle companion whose profoundest wish was to go to a motel and watch The X-Files, Bryson gamely struggled through the wilderness to achieve a lifetime's ambition - not to die outdoors.A Walk in the Woods is now a major feature film starring Robert Redford, Emma Thompson and Nick Offerman.

Bill Bryson’s first travel book, The Lost Continent, was unanimously acclaimed as one of the funniest books in years. In Neither Here nor There he brings his unique brand of humour to bear on Europe as he shoulders his backpack, keeps a tight hold on his wallet, and journeys from Hammerfest, the northernmost town on the continent, to Istanbul on the cusp of Asia. Fluent in, oh, at least one language, he retraces his travels as a student twenty years before.Whether braving the homicidal motorists of Paris, being robbed by gypsies in Florence, attempting not to order tripe and eyeballs in a German restaurant or window-shopping in the sex shops of the Reeperbahn, Bryson takes in the sights, dissects the culture and illuminates each place and person with his hilariously caustic observations. He even goes to Liechtenstein.

It is the driest, flattest, hottest, most desiccated, infertile and climatically aggressive of all the inhabited continents and still Australia teems with life – a large portion of it quite deadly. In fact, Australia has more things that can kill you in a very nasty way than anywhere else.Ignoring such dangers – and yet curiously obsessed by them – Bill Bryson journeyed to Australia and promptly fell in love with the country. And who can blame him? The people are cheerful, extrovert, quick-witted and unfailingly obliging: their cities are safe and clean and nearly always built on water; the food is excellent; the beer is cold and the sun nearly always shines. Life doesn’t get much better than this…

From bestselling author Bill Bryson comes this compelling short biography of William Shakespeare, our greatest dramatist and poet.Examining centuries of myths, half-truths and downright lies, Bill Bryson makes sense of the man behind the masterpieces. As he leads us through the crowded streets of Elizabethan England, he brings to life the places and characters that inspired Shakespeare’s work. Along the way he delights in the inventiveness of Shakespeare’s language, which has given us so many of the indispensable words and phrases we use today, and celebrates the Bard’s legacy to our literature, culture and history.Drawing together information from a vast array of sources, this is a masterful account of the life and works of William Shakespeare, one of the most famous and most enigmatic people ever to have lived – not to mention a classic piece of Bill Bryson.

Edited and introduced by Bill Bryson, with contributions from Richard Dawkins, Margaret Atwood, Richard Holmes, Martin Rees, Richard Fortey, Steve Jones, James Gleick and Neal Stephenson amongst others, this beautiful, lavishly illustrated book tells the story of science and the Royal Society, from 1660 to the present. Since its inception in 1660, the Royal Society has pioneered scientific discovery and exploration. The oldest scientific academy in existence, its backbone is its Fellowship of the most eminent scientists in history including Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. Today, its Fellows are the most influential men and women in science, many of whom have contributed to this ground-breaking volume alongside some of the world’s most celebrated novelists, essayists and historians.This book celebrates the Royal Society's vast achievements in its illustrious past as well as its huge contribution to the development of modern science. With unrestricted access to the Society's archives and photographs, Seeing Further shows that the history of scientific endeavour and discovery is a continuous thread running through the history of the world and of society – and is one that continues to shape the world we live in today.

Bill Bryson’s biography of William Shakespeare unravels the superstitions, academic discoveries and myths surrounding the life of our greatest poet and playwright. Ever since he took the theatre of Elizabethan London by storm over 400 years ago, Shakespeare has remained centre stage. His fame stems not only from his plays – performed everywhere from school halls to the world's most illustrious theatres – but also from his enigmatic persona. His face is familiar to all, yet in reality very little is known about the man behind the masterpieces.Shakespeare’s life, despite the scrutiny of generations of biographers and scholars, is still a thicket of myths and traditions, some preposterous, some conflicting, arranged around the few scant facts known about the Bard – from his birth in Stratford to the bequest of his second best bed to his wife when he died.Taking us on a journey through the streets of Elizabethan and Jacobean England, Bryson examines centuries of stories, half-truths and downright lies surrounding our greatest dramatist. With a steady hand and his trademark wit, he introduces a host of engaging characters, as he celebrates the magic of Shakespeare's language and delights in details of the bard's life, folios, poetry and plays.

'More than 300 million people in the world speak English and the rest, it sometimes seems, try to...'Only Bill Bryson could make a book about the English language so entertaining. With his boundless enthusiasm and restless eye for the absurd, this is his astonishing tour of English. From its mongrel origins to its status as the world's most-spoken tongue; its apparent simplicity to its deceptive complexity; its vibrant swearing to its uncertain spelling and pronunciation, Bryson covers all this as well as the many curious eccentricities that make it as maddening to learn as it is flexible to use. Bill Bryson's classic Mother Tongue is a highly readable and hilarious tale of how English came to be the world's language.

What is the difference between mean and median, blatant and flagrant, flout and flaunt? Is it whodunnit or whodunit? Do you know? Are you sure?With Troublesome Words, journalist and bestselling travel-writer Bill Bryson gives us a clear, concise and entertaining guide to the problems of English usage and spelling that has been an indispensable companion to those who work with the written word for over twenty years. So if you want to discover whether you should care about split infinitives, are cursed with an uncontrollable outbreak of commas or were wondering if that newsreader was right to say 'an historic day', this superb book is the place to find out.

Perfect for ages 8 to 80!Adapted from A Short History of Nearly Everything, this stunningly illustrated book from Bill Bryson takes us from the Big Bang to the dawn of science, and everything in between! Ever wondered how we got from nothing to something?Or thought about how we can weigh the earth?Or wanted to reach the edge of the universe?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. And discover our own incredible journey, from single cell to civilisation, including the brilliant (and sometimes very bizarre) scientists who helped us find out the how and why.The ideal book for curious young readers everywhere. ************************************************************************Reviews for A Short History of Nearly Everything:'It's the sort of book I would have devoured as a teenager. It might well turn unsuspecting young readers into scientists.' Evening Standard'I doubt that a better book for the layman about the findings of modern science has been written' Sunday Telegraph'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' Daily Mail

'A sure-fire winner . . . sparkles with interest and excitement throughout' - Guardian Best Children's Books of 2023You’ll spend your WHOLE LIFE in your body. So it’s only fair you know how it works, right?This book will teach you EVERYTHING you need to know about the machine that is YOU. From your astonishing brain to your hard-working heart.Get ready for the BIG questions, like:How many muscles do you move playing Fortnight? (A twitch of a thumb on the controller uses TEN muscles)Are chillis actually HOT? (Short answer: no. We’ve been fooled by a plant.)How far can we sneeze? (Your sneeze droplets can reach up to eight meters – which means you could sneeze over an entire class.)You’ll also meet people like Chevalier Jackson, who collected things that people had swallowed by accident (for science, of course). And learn about why we poo (and why it smells).Packed with facts, history and humour, this beautifully illustrated book, from global bestselling science and history author Bill Bryson (ask your mum, he’s the one with the beard), will help you understand the secrets to our bodies and brains.'Offers children a series of fascinating scientific facts' - Daily Telegraph

'A sure-fire winner . . . sparkles with interest and excitement throughout' - Guardian Best Children's Books of 2023You’ll spend your WHOLE LIFE in your body. So it’s only fair you know how it works, right?This book will teach you EVERYTHING you need to know about the machine that is YOU. From your astonishing brain to your hard-working heart.Get ready for the BIG questions, like:How many muscles do you move playing Fortnight? (A twitch of a thumb on the controller uses TEN muscles)Are chillis actually HOT? (Short answer: no. We’ve been fooled by a plant.)How far can we sneeze? (Your sneeze droplets can reach up to eight meters – which means you could sneeze over an entire class.)You’ll also meet people like Chevalier Jackson, who collected things that people had swallowed by accident (for science, of course). And learn about why we poo (and why it smells).Packed with facts, history and humour, this beautifully illustrated book, from global bestselling science and history author Bill Bryson (ask your mum, he’s the one with the beard), will help you understand the secrets to our bodies and brains.'Offers children a series of fascinating scientific facts' - Daily Telegraph

Adapted from Mother Tongue this stunningly illustrated book by Bill Bryson tells the story of English, from the first words ever spoken to the very first dictionaries.Perfect for ages 8 to 80!Every day, you do something incredible, and I bet you barely ever think about it: you speak. But have you ever wondered why the English language turned out like it did?If so, this is the book for you. It will also answer some VERY important questions . . .? Why do we have the Vikings to thank for words like glitter and sky?? Why did goodbye used to be god be with you?? Why did LOL originally mean little old ladies?? And why did no one know what majestic meant until Shakespeare came along?In this epic journey through words, rhymes - and even a few jokes - Bill Bryson will teach you how the English language came to be (clue: lots of invasions) and what makes it a rich and beautiful thing (lots of Shakespeare).Get ready . . . because the story of the English language is an EXTRAORDINARY one.