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A Short History Of Nearly Everything
by Bill Bryson

A solid, comprehensive work of popular science, covering a great range of subjects from the full breadth of cosmology to the narrowest confines of atoms, molecules and living cells. It's best for pure novices; someone with a basic knowledge of the sciences will see a lot of this material as old news. And Bryson has one stylistic weakness, a tendency to rely a little too much on synthesizing the conclusions of others (i.e., "According to so-and-so, '...' "). But there's enough original thought here, conveyed with clarity, humor, and wisdom, to make A Short History a worthwhile read for any layman with an interest in the universe around us. Worth a look.