A Book For Everyone........(Part 1 of 2)

If there exists a better book on general science than Bill Bryson's A Short History Of Nearly Everything, then please forgive me for not reading it for I was too awed by what Bryson had achieved.I may be biased but no other book that I have read on popular science (and believe me I have read a lot),is so complete (with the possible exception of The Road To Reality).

A Short History... does sound like an ambitious title, for how can anyone cover 'everything' in finite pages (although a good number),but as it turns out, Bryson does achieve what he sets out to do.

Its been about six years since the book was first released. Its reasonably famous and a bestseller,but I haven't met a great number of people who have read it. That is why I decided to write this post (and the next).Its based on how I came across the book and why its my favourite.

My first introduction to this book was through Books page in Ht on Sundays. It was highly recommended but at a whooping amount of Rs 950 it wasn't worth, or so I thought. Well time passed by and I got busy with my ICSE exams in 2004. Later that year while reading Reader's Digest, I came across an article that had a passage from this book. It talked about the universe and it's creation (my favourite part). It was so beautifully written, I just couldn't take my eyes of it. I decided to buy book but in Mathura you do not easily get such books (in 2004 I mean), so I had to abandon the idea.

How I eventually got this book is a series of amazing coincidences. I went to Lucknow for a Quiz Competition in September 2004. There, I visited my grandfather. While I was having chat with my aunt (Mrs Shikhi Sharma-one of most intelligent people I have met), she asked me about my hobbies. First thing that came to my mouth was reading. So she asked which books have I read. I told her about A Brief History of Time and Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman and then I said that I would love to read this book called A Short History... To my surprise she had already read it and immediately understood what a good book it was. I got the book as a gift and a reward for my knowledge (and also as she was very impressed after I recited Mark Antony's funeral speech to her with perfection. A thousand thanks to Mrs Usha Saxena, my English teacher, who had taught us so well. God bless her ).

Well that was it. I finally got the book that i had so long desired but just couldn't get. Why I do like the book and why I think that everyone should read it, will follow in my next post.

(to be concluded.......)