A Short History of Nearly Everything

A Short History deviates from Bryson's popular travel book genre, instead describing general sciences such chemistry, paleontology, astronomy, and particle physics. In it, he explores time from the Big Bang to the discovery of quantum mechanics, via evolution and geology.

Bryson narrates the book from the perspective of the people who made the discoveries, such as Edwin Hubble and Albert Einstein.

In 2004, this book won Bryson the prestigious Aventis Prize for best general science book.