In this fully revised and updated edition of the best-selling popular science book of the 21st century, Bill Bryson makes complex subjects clear and engaging for everyone with an interest in the world around them. NOW FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED.

'Possibly the best scientific primer ever published.' Economist

'Truly impressive...It's hard to imagine a better rough guide to science.' Guardian

Bill Bryson's curiosity about the world around him is limitless. A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0 is the result of his quest to understand everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization – how we went from nothing to what we are today. Now fully updated to include many scientific discoveries from the last twenty years since this book was first published, it explains among many other topics:

• why Pluto is no longer classified as a planet
• how the number of moons in the solar system has more than doubled in 20 years
• how scientists used advances in genetics to identify previously unknown species of early humans
• why we still don't understand what most of the universe is made of
• how the little Higgs boson transformed physics

This journey through time and space will inspire a new generation of readers, young and old, as well as those who first read this book, with a fresh perspective based on current knowledge.

Written in his distinctive style, Bryson makes complex topics fascinating and accessible to everyone interested in the world around them. A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0 offers a new way of seeing our universe.

Praise for A Short History of Nearly Everything:

‘I doubt that a better book for the layman about the findings of modern science has been written.’ Sunday Telegraph

‘Bill Bryson has an unmatched gift for explaining the most difficult subjects in the clearest possible way.’ Mail on Sunday

‘A travelogue of science, with a witty, engaging, and well-informed guide’ The Times

‘Hugely readable and never confusing.’ Sunday Times

‘A genuinely useful and readable book... An thoroughly enjoyable, as well as educational, experience. Nobody who reads it will ever see the world in the same way again’ Daily Express

‘The very book I have been searching for all my life... Bryson shares his knowledge with confidence and a lot of very good jokes.’ Daily Mail

‘Likely to become a modern classic of science literature’ The New York Times

Pages: 656, Dimensions: 15.5x15.5cm