WRITING a short beginner’s history of the world was never going to be an easy undertaking.

A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson

WRITING a short beginner’s history of the world was never going to be an easy undertaking. After all, a lot has happened in the past 14 billion years. From antibiotics to X-rays, we’ve been a busy bunch.

With such an incredible amount of information to explore, it would be impossible to know where to begin, but one of our best-loved writers is luckily on hand to help.

With his characteristically childlike wonder (and tantrums!) Bill Bryson jumps into the world of backwardly-built dinosaurs and deadly concoctions to draw together the very best and worst of science in this incredible guide.

The book is littered throughout with extraordinary personalities, tales of astounding genius, and instances of stomach-churning stupidity (the destruction of the last dodo specimen is guaranteed to cause a cringe).

Alongside this host of funny, bizarre anecdotes and trivia, Bryson explores and explains all the greatest scientific theories and discoveries in a thoroughly approachable way, finding the beauty and wonder in even the most challenging of topics.

A truly enchanting book that’s guaranteed to become a firm favourite after the first read.