Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 8/21/2008 + 1178 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 5

Fascinating!! This book was great. For someone like me who hasn't really studied any science since high school (many years ago), Bryson provides a great history of the earth and science through the ages that is written so anyone can understand it. It's amazing to me how many scientific principles have changed and theories introduced since I took high school physics in the 60s. There are so many interesting and fascinating facts in the book. It really makes me want to learn more about some of the specific areas. The quibbling among scientists such as the early discoverers of dinosaurs was great. The parts about dangers from space and the Earth itself were frightening: the possible future collision with a comet or asteroid, the inevitable huge earthquakes and volcanic activity, the possible ice ages, etc. And the insights into some of the great scientists personalities and eccentricities were marvelous. The part about the retiring scientist Henry Cavendish and his shyness was priceless. I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to get a broad perspective on the sciences. I wish my grade school teachers could have made science this interesting.

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