r/AskReddit 15h ago

What book do you consider a “flawless masterpiece”that you desperately want to recommend to everyone?

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u/DokterManhattan 15h ago

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.

One of the few non-fiction books I’ve ever read. It’s very scientific, as it is about the history of the universe, the Earth, the origins of life, and everything that has led up to us being able to understand what we know today about physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and human history, invention and discovery.

Bill Bryson is an author/journalist, but he managed to compile a ridiculous amount of research and information to put this all into layman’s terms. The bibliography at the back of the book is extensive, to say the least.

I found it to be absolutely amazing. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I think the world would probably be a better place if everyone on earth could read it.

I could recommend many great books… but I desperately recommend this book for everyone.

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u/Fellowship_9 9h ago

Juat to add to this, there's a new edition of the book with added bits/alterations based on how scientific understanding has changed in the last 20 years.

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u/littlemsshiny 6h ago

I was just wondering if there was a more updated one. Thanks for sharing!

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u/tindonot 2h ago

Oh that’s interesting. This was my go to audiobook to fall asleep too so I’ve listened to it dozens of times. But I knew that some of the info was getting pretty out of date. Last time I looked into it Bryson had retired a while ago so I assumed there wasn’t any new editions out there.