North & South

In Praise of (Two) Old White Guys

I’VE JUST SPENT 900 pages in the company of two “old white guys”: the Australian zoologist and explorer Tim Flannery, 63, and the American-English writer Bill Bryson, 67. They have each published a plump volume in time for Christmas, two fat, rich puddings of science – both, thanks to their consummate skill, easy to digest.

Bryson’s book describes “this warm wobble of flesh” – the human body, with its skin, heart, bones, guts, blood, brain and immune system; its diseases and its mortality – with the same breezy humour that made his science bestseller A Short History of Nearly Everything (2003) such a classic.

The Body: A Guide for Occupants

(Penguin Random House, $55), like all great popular science books, grasps the nettle of complexity without thrashing the reader to death with it. There’s the immune system, for instance, which I call mind-bogglingly complicated and

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from North & South

North & South1 min read
Reader Letter Winner
This month’s best letter wins a fantastic prize pack from Manawa Honey NZ valued at $240! It includes their award-winning Honeys of Te Urewera range, recognized here in New Zealand and overseas as a cut above the rest, plus a $150 Manawa Honey NZ gif
North & South1 min read
SUBSCRIBE TODAY & RECEIVE BONUS ISSUES!
+ Free contactless delivery to your home + Never pay cover price again + Never miss an issue $45 6 ISSUES save 33% off the retail cover price + 1 BONUS ISSUE $80 12 ISSUES save 37% off the retail cover price + 2 BONUS ISSUES Already a subscriber? Sim
North & South3 min read
Upskill On Your Terms
They are Aotearoa New Zealand’s most innovative, independent postgraduate education provider — all about promoting self-determined learning to empower people and kickstart positive, sustainable change for individuals, workplaces and communities. Foun

Related Books & Audiobooks