ryan is the supernicety wrote:
] Ryan: It really is a fantastic book. Travels through time
] explaining all of nature from the birth of the universe
] through modern times, through the perspective of the
] development of each science.
]
] I'm currently reading another Bryson book, Made in America,
] which discusses the development of American English through
] the history of the United States. Written in a similar
] fashion as Short History, it is the followup to The Mother's
] Tongue, which discussed the development of British English.
] Neat stuff.
]
] k wrote:
] ] ] A book by travel writer Bill Bryson, which explains the
] ] ] origins of everything scooped the Aventis Science Book
] ] ] Prize on Monday night. A Short History of Nearly
] ] ] Everything, was awarded the prize by Lord Robert May,
] ] ] President of the Royal Society and Dirk Oldenburg, chair
] ] ] of the Aventis Foundation, at London's Royal Society.
] ]
] ] [ I haven't had the chance to read this yet, but I know Ryan
]
] ] really liked it... i may well pick it up one of these days.
]
] ] It's quite something by all accounts... -k]

Just one small point about so-called "British English" - there's no such thing. It's just English. The USA might use English as a basis for "American English" (another misnomer) but English is the language of England and needs no further qualification.

The history of English (sic) is, I agree, a fascinating subject and one that Melvyn Bragg has written and broadcast on for some years. You might like to follow up some of his scholarly but popular works.

RE: A Short History of Nearly Everything wins Aventis Prize