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Bill Bryson's Appliance of Science
Publisher's Summary
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.
Across this five-episode series, Bill Bryson, with the help of The Science Museum's curators, takes us object-by-object through some of the museum's lesser 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.
This is an Audible Original Podcast. Free for members. You can download all 5 episodes to your Library now.
What the critics say
"Quirky, humorous and mercifully free of jargon." (Financial Times)
"The excitement of the Science Museum's curators is infectious as they share their expertise, bringing the ideas and inventions of the incurably curious to life." (The Guardian)
"Perfect for a weekend train journey." (Buzzfeed)
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What listeners say about Bill Bryson's Appliance of Science
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2019-09-30
Bits and pieces from the London Museum of Science
one of the things that is always fascinated me of a big museums is what don't we get to see, and what stories don't we get to hear about. this behind-the-scenes look at curators favourite items makes me want to go back.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Emily Lewis
- 2019-03-02
Great narration
Interesting stories but would be better with pictures. Sometimes it is hard to imagine what is being described. But the storyteller keeps your interest.
5 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ben
- 2019-02-05
Almost great
Very informative, engaging. But ruined by abysmal editing. This “audio tour” touches on unique history on pop medical solutions.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David
- 2019-11-04
Fascinating, compelling and informative.
I love the sciences and to have access to such a well produced audiobook has made me very greatful for all the work that is involved.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- R. MCRACKAN
- 2018-07-02
Mixed bag
Fascinating facts with unexpectedly dull presentation. Which pains me to say because I love Bryson.
7 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2020-04-20
A frustrating listening experience
The files within this book do not play in order. After every chapter I was returned to the beginning of that chapter or the beginning of the book altogether. Also, each chapter seems to end rather abruptly.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Robinb
- 2019-10-29
More, More MORE!!
Love Bill Bryson and really love this podcast format. Informative and engaging. Please give us more!
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- STACEY
- 2018-12-09
Interesting
I liked this and found it interesting and entertaining. I liked Bill as narrator. Great listen.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Lisa Noyes
- 2020-05-01
This should be called “The History of British Science and Engineering.”
This should be called “The History of British Science and Engineering.” It was entirely historical with nothing recent, and that was not clear from the name or description.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Elizabeth P. Fowler
- 2020-04-29
Tour of obscure scientific objects
This book is nicely written and narrated by Bill Bryson, with guest appearances by various curators at London's Science Museum. However, it is nearly impossible to follow this without images, so one comes away without any clear idea of how each object actually works.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gabriela
- 2020-04-28
Very interesting
It was very instructive and left me wanting to know about more objects from this museum.