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BOOK REVIEW
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Everything
WORD Bill Bryson
ideas to BILL BRYSON was a ‘bad science his best work on others without acknowl-

change
student’, dropped out of University, and edging them. He found out “how old is
wrote one of the best popular science [the universe] and how big?” by using the
books. After five years of gruelling research, work of two computers, Henrietta Swan

MALTA
which mostly involved asking: ‘I’m sorry,
but can you explain that again’ to dozens of
scientists, out popped a near masterpiece:
A Short History of Nearly Everything.
A think-tank The book was published in 2003 and des-
Leavitt and Annie Jump Cannon. Back
then, computers spent their lives studying
photographic plates of stars and making
computations.
The number of scientists he talks about

for humour perately needs an update. It also mentions

controversies that have now been settled
and it has at least 28 errors. In an over 600–
by page book (paperback), that’s not so bad.
DR ĠORĠ MALLIA Now to the good points, it’s easy to read,
a great laugh and jam-packed with quirky
Maltese society tends to take itself errata about your favourite scientists. After
much too seriously. This is not reading this book you might become the
unique to the Maltese nation, but life of many a dinner table. It talks about
still becomes problematic when evolution, astronomy, quantum physics,
even the slightest hint of humour and everything in between. An achieve-
comes into politics, football, local ment that deserves every award Bryson has
feasts, and a large number of other received, including becoming a bestseller
social functions. Humour becomes — not an easy feat for a popular science
an affront to staunch, deep-rooted book.
beliefs and reacted to vehemently. First he goes through the history of
A think-tank is proposed that science picking some great stories. About
will discuss, educate and suggest Carolus Linnaeus, who penned “long and
scientific ways in which humour can flattering portraits of himself, declaring
be installed in every aspect of society, that there had never ‘been a greater bota-
from the old stalwart of seriousness, nist or zoologist', [who had] a feverish—
the school, all the way to the echelons preoccupation with sex”. On “Adonis”
of administration, replacing excessive a.k.a. Edwin Hubble, “he was a strong and
pompousness with smiles and gifted athlete, charming, smart and im-
laughter. • mensely good-looking, […] a large mass
of ego [and] an inveterate liar” who built
is startling. There is activist scientist Clair
Patterson (male) who figured out the age
of the Earth, the grenade swinging J.B.S.
Haldane, one of the best evolutionary bi-
ologists, other greats: Einstein, Marie Cu-
rie (unfairly ostracised from the scientific
community for her long-term affair), New-
ton, and countless others. Bill Bryson has
found a scientist for everyone.
He also explains science simply and el-
egantly. Everyone can understand how he
talks about Newton’s three laws of motion
and universal law of gravitation, the uncer-
tainty principle, the peculiar world of the
atom, and how chemistry was saved by the
Periodic Table. If only I’d read this book
when I was younger.
After these wonderful pieces, he starts
picking rather random topics: dinosaurs
(great chapter), volcanoes, water and talks
about each topic’s history always from the
point of view of its greatest researchers.
This is the magic of Bill Bryson and his
book, a must read for anyone—you won’t
look at the world (and its scientists) in the
same way again. •

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