PBS estimated the fundamental elements of the human body would cost about $168. According to the Royal Society of Chemistry the full cost of building a human with all the elements would be about $151,000. It might've even been $2.97 in 1960s money, accounting for inflation. It often indicates a user profile.īryson's chemistry teacher once told him that all the chemicals that make up a human body could be bought for $5.

Unless you're comfortable in metric, imperial and the UK's various quaint units of measure you'll find yourself pausing to do the conversions yourself.Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. Sometimes Bryson will refer to length in feet, or meters, or weight in kilos, pounds or stones, he might provide conversions, or he might not. Finally, for a book that's partly trying to explain a technical subject it contains an infuriating mismatch of differing systems of units of measure. Sometimes there's a great mix of those, but more often than not the science suffers because too much time is taken on some personal observation or anecdote that that isn't all that interesting, or some other mixture of the three. This book's a mixture of scientific fact, anecdotes and personal observations. He's still not quite capturing what made 'A Short History.' great. I've read many of Bryson's earlier books, this is the third one of his that I've read with a scientific theme read after 'A Short History.' and 'At Home'. Bryson manages to sound monotone, unexcited and borderline out of breath throughout. It's great when certain authors narrate their own works, as you can really feel their enthusiasm for the subject, but boy is this not one of those cases. A perfect listen for new and existing Bill Bryson fans alike.” ( Jess, Audible Editor)Īverage, really needs a professional narrator,

Covering everything from sleep to immunity, I came away from listening to the audiobook with a newfound appreciation and respect for my body. “In this illuminating history of the human form, Bill Bryson presents scientific research in an accessible way, introducing a host of individuals including the world’s first kidney transplant recipient and the Nobel Prize-winning Peter Medawar. Definitely take a listen if you’ve ever wondered why or how your body does what it does, or, if not, take a listen for the multitude of amazing facts you can pull out at your next awkward dinner party.” ( Alex, Audible Editor) I have loved many of Bill Bryson’s books but I think this one may have just jostled its way to the top of my list of favourites. Somehow, with all that jam packed in, listening to it still feels like an entertaining coffee with an old friend. “Between the mysterious, the unexpected, the unknown and the undiscovered The Body: A Guide for Occupants takes us through all the weird and wonderful parts of the human body with humour, historical anecdotes and some truly jaw-dropping facts.

The body bryson