Sunday Times best-selling author of A Short History of Nearly Everything Bill Bryson teams up with The Science Museum to celebrate the ideas and inventions of the incurably curious.
In this feast of invention and discovery, Bill Bryson, with the help of The Science Museum's curators, takes us object by object through some of the museum's less well-known inventions and discoveries and the human stories behind them.
Discover how a teenage inventor, a pig's head, a lump of plywood and a famous British record label made medical history or how some inventions simply happen by accident. This 'museum for your ears' looks at how experimentation, competition, hard work and a desire to change our lives for the better have contributed to the progress of mankind.
Accompanying this scientific adventure is an exclusive Audible Sessions interview with Bill, in which he delves into the making of this project, revisits his past works, and explains why it's a good thing that no-one could ever read all the books out there.
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(Audible Studios, 12 October 2017, audiobook, 1 hour 40 minutes, narrated by Bill Bryson, Audible)
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Episodes:
- Mapping The Earth
- The Pioneers Of Radio
- Life-Saving Clocks
- Giant Telescope
- Unlikely Medical Inventions
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Bill Byson's Appliance of Science was okay to listen to but didn't impress me that much. I enjoyed learning about the different objects in the museum and their historical importance. The podcasts contain some fascinating pieces of information. The biggest issue is the narration. I'm a fan of Bill Bryson's books but he does an awful job here. I can't think of any other word than awful. His narration is cheesy at times, as if he's speaking to a child or someone he thinks is an idiot. It just doesn't work and I found his voice off-putting. I would have enjoyed the podcasts much better without his commentary and science-for-idiot's descriptions.
