Almost Everyone's Guide to Science

by John Gribbin

An introduction to the central facts, evidence and issues of modern science, from black holes to DNA, from the Big Bang to the workings of the brain. It will be an ideal introduction to an increasingly central area, and an entry for teenagers, and adults with no or little background, alike.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Physics, Audiobook, Chemistry

400 pages, Hardcover

First published August 10, 1998

About the author

John R. Gribbin is a British science writer, an astrophysicist, and a visiting fellow in astronomy at the University of Sussex. His writings include quantum physics, human evolution, climate change, global warming, the origins of the universe, and biographies of famous scientists. He also writes science fiction.

Reviews

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

After years of slowly recovering from what academia, mental illness, and unresolved grief did to my intellectual curiosity and energy, I finally got around to reading this one: a gift from my PhD supervisor upon my successful defense in 2017. I realize it's a bit outdated, but I believe my supervisor was given the same book when he graduated and he saw passing it on as a fond form of heredity. In any case, it was still a great read, and a timely reminder of the broader scientific universe in which my own (now established and blossoming) career sits.

The read renewed my longstanding layman's fascination with quantum physics, refreshed my decade-old memories of chemistry and biology, and taught me some stuff I didn't know about the history of scientific discovery. I even appreciated the candour with which Gribbin glossed over my own place in the scale between subatomic particles and galaxies: at the scale of complex human systems, there are simply too many interacting parts (and a noted proliferation of TYPES of parts) to make sense of with the kinds of physical laws that describe the very small and the very large. I feel like some parts of the journey definitely could have been improved with diagrams; several sentences to describe the physical arrangement of molecules in a complex organic chemical would have been handled more succinctly and clearly with a single image, for example. Overall, however, it was a very engaging little romp through all of science. Thanks Randy!

[Chris Rock · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book gives a historical and conceptual scaffolding to basic physics and chemistry, with a touch of biology (no geology though). The stage for this organization is the scientific method and the idea that if a scientific model doesn't match experiment, then it is wrong.

This book was a lot shorter than I expected. I was also very dense, meaning that the information was packed in without any wasteful repetition. It often uses technical words with nothing more that a quick contextual definition. Because of that, if you listen to the audiobook (as I did), unless you already have a pretty good handle on science, you might need to listen to it a few times.

Recommended to "Almost Everyone" who really wants to know and understand science, the casual reader with only a passing interest in science might do better to try "A Short History of Nearly Everything." For those who already know a log about science, it's a great way to review, and pick up a few interesting tidbits as well.

[Cassandra Kay Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

A daughter of a friend of mine has an interest in science and I was trying to find something that would be accessible and easy to understand (she is 14) but would still be engaging and easy to follow. So I read this (can't recommend a book I haven't read) and think this will fit her perfectly. It was exactly what I was looking for.

[Shane Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short and therefore not very deep.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gribben has long been one of my favorite science writers. He has a way of presenting science that feels like a mixture of a series of really good lectures and an invitation to the Q&A afterward. In this book he covers it all: chemistry, biology, physics (both particle and astro-). If a well-written update on the state of science at the beginning of the 21st century sounds intriguing, grab this one. It's a keeper.

[b.pramod · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting and rewarding read

I would rate this as the best science book I have read. I have been a student of science over fifty years back but have been away from much of science except genetics since then. John Gribbin's book has given me such a gripping panoramic view of the science behind all existence that I found it difficult to put down the book until I finished reading it. Surely it is a unique work and I consider myself fortunate to have come across it. A great service by the author to science and all those seeking to develop their understanding of the sciences ! I am sure I will be rereading this book many times.
I feel some background in science in the reader will greatly facilitate good understanding of the contents of this book. But even those who have had no introduction to the sciences but are driven by curiosity to get to know about the fantastic progress made during the past 3 to 4 centuries in this field will find this book truly enriching.

[Idaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful manual for recalling basic theories and knowledge in the field of natural sciences. The first part is significantly better and contains more illustrative examples for those of us who are not natural scientists.

[Nikolovski Nenad · Rating 5 out of 5]

the Best

[Ryan Shea]

If the data does not match the model, the model is wrong.

[Akash Das · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and informative. No time wasted bullshitting.

[Banderosis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit I had great time reading this book although I faced some difficulties with some scientific concepts, but that's on me. Science in general is tough and still hard subject to learn. So after many research in Goodreads, I thought this was the right book to start with before reading any science book in the near future.

Starting on the way John Gribbin writes, I found it not that bad. He didn't express his own personal views. He eloquently explained the facts scientifically. In general, I only couldn't follow with his explanations in just two chapters. The rest of the chapters were fine.

The book is really a journey. It takes you from the very tiny small particles of the atoms and then up and up to the stars. Finally there, the big bang and the ultimate expanding universe, or should I say the indefinite small! Gribbin explained most of the chemistry, physics, geology, cosmology and some biology stuff. I am so happy that I learned something about the quarks, the geological time scale and evolution.

It's worth mentioning the two downsides that took away the two stars. I think these two shouldn't be in any science book. First, the book isn't illustrated and doesn't contain any figures. Second and lastly, the whole book was published in 1998, meaning it isn't updated. Perhaps there is now a lot more to the science than in 1998.

Thank you John Gribbin. I am looking forward to reading your other books.

[Miguel R. Luaces · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo he leído en castellano.

La organización del libro es amena e interesante porque en lugar de empezar por el principio del Universo o por las estructuras más grandes, empieza por las estructuras más pequeñas y hace el camino en el orden inverso a lo que es habitual en estos libros. Además, se agradece que introduzca conceptos de otras disciplinas que no sean la astronomía (química, biología, geología, etc.) mostrando la gran relación que existe entre todos estos campos.

Como aspectos negativos, mencionar que a veces las descripciones se hacen densas y difíciles de seguir. Además, otras veces se utiliza el recurso de personalizar las reglas de la física: "antes de que el universo se dé cuenta y dicho paquete tenga que desaparecer".

Lo recomiendo al que le guste la divulgación científica porque a pesar de explicar temas que ya están contados en muchos otros sitios, lo hace de una manera amena y resaltando relaciones que en otros libros no mencionan.

[Ravi Warrier · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book brought back some memories of my high school science classes. There were some fundamental things I had forgotten in physics and chemistry and this book reminded me of those. Other than that, Gribbins has tried hard, yet failed mildly though, to write a book that could explain science to laymen.
Maybe, that's why the book is called, "Almost Everyone's Guide to Science". :)
Having said, it's a really good attempt; because I wouldn't be able to dream up of a way to explain quantum physics, molecular structure and reactions and the composition of amino acids and DNA molecules in really simple terms. Some things, just require a little acumen for true understanding, I guess!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason, maybe sheer curiosity or perhaps a yearning to return to middle school science class (no, that's not it, it has to be the first one), I picked up this book. Gribbin tells the story of science from the inside of the atom to the farthest expanses of the universe. It is a nice, educational read for the person who has forgotten the science they learned in school and simply wants to remember some of it. Maybe this sounds a bit juvenile, but the only thing I would add would be some diagrams/charts/pictures which would enhance an already good book.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Description: The book is for anyone who is vaguely aware that science is important, and might even be interesting, but is scared off by the technical detail.

A fun recap or a lovely starter for budding scientists.

[Joel Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was in College. Well written and made to be interesting and even funny at some points. It radically changed my view of the world and the origin of all existence. In hind-sight, it seeded a world view that is totally devoid of meaning. The answer to the big questions are not to be found in science alone read with a grain of salt.

[Todd Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Almost Everyone's Guide to Science is basically a quick re-cap of everything you were supposed to have learned in your junior high school chemistry and physics classes … and about as interesting.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great science book that should be included in High School curriculum. This was my first Gribbin book on popular science, but not my last... I enjoyed his style and look forward to reading more of his many works.

[Bjorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had fun with this book.

[nik · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a small beautiful book written in 1998. Maybe this should be on the reading list for school children. It could increase their interests in chemistry and other sciences.

[Greg O · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good introduction to the basics of just about every branch of science--chemistry, physics, biology, and more--in terms that are actually quite easy to understand.

[Grego · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good introduction to the basics of just about every branch of science--chemistry, physics, biology, and more--in terms that are actually quite easy to understand.

[Bram · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is focused on the Bohr model that's taught to children in high school. I had expected that this book would cover wider topics.

[Suby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The principles are explained quite lucidly. Still there are portions where the reader can get stuck. It was a good read though. Does enable us to learn a few things we didn't know about earlier...

[Mukhtar Ahmad]

brilliant history of science

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

short and precise, nice read

[Louise Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed some chapters of this but to be completely honest it gave me a bit of a headache! I'm trying to understand science a bit more but I think this book isn't the one for me.