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]

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.