A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING

From the Big Bang to the ascent of man, author Bryson has condensed the history of science into 15 valuable hours, using an entertaining style that neither demeans a scientist nor overwhelms the layperson. Bryson documents his up-to-date sources and shows surprising scholastic rigor for a nonscientist. The British narrator (although the author is American) never misses on any of the thousands of scientific terms. However, he accentuates the last word of every phrase or sentence by dropping his voice in a drawn-out slur that to American ears may sound disparaging or snobbish--a noticeable incongruence with Bryson’s lighthearted scientific “audio primer” of fresh old thoughts. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 03]