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Cover of A short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson

Book · Non-fiction, memoir and self-help

A short history of nearly everything

by Bill Bryson

Page count, estimated reading time and reading quiz: everything to know before you start A short history of nearly everything, and the Vread challenge to get to the end.

Pages
500
Reading time
≈ 9 h
Checkpoints
18
Genre
Non-fiction
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Free on iPhone and Android.

How long does it take to read A short history of nearly everything?

At 500 pages, A short history of nearly everything is a long book. Expect about 9 hours of reading to finish it, based on 250 words per page and an average reading speed of 230 words per minute. A fast reader will go quicker; a careful read (or reading in a second language) will take longer.

At 30 minutes a day, that is about 19 days of reading. At the median pace of Vread readers, 72 pages per reading day, it takes 7 reading days. For a book of this length (400 to 599 pages), Vread readers who finish it take a median of 5.3 days between the first and the last checkpoint (Vread Reading Barometer 2026).

Reading days to finish it
30 minutes a day19 days
Vread median pace (72 pp./day)7 days

Estimates; see the method at the bottom of the page.

Prove you read it

The Vread challenge: 18 checkpoints

  1. Checkpoint 1, page 28
  2. Checkpoint 2, page 56
  3. Checkpoint 3, page 83
  4. Checkpoint 4, page 111
  5. Checkpoint 5, page 139
  6. Checkpoint 6, page 167
  7. Checkpoint 7, page 194
  8. Checkpoint 8, page 222
  9. Checkpoint 9, page 250
  10. Checkpoint 10, page 278
  11. Checkpoint 11, page 306
  12. Checkpoint 12, page 333
  13. Checkpoint 13, page 361
  14. Checkpoint 14, page 389
  15. Checkpoint 15, page 417
  16. Checkpoint 16, page 444
  17. Checkpoint 17, page 472
  18. Checkpoint 18, page 500

In Vread, A short history of nearly everything is split into 18 checkpoints, one every 28 pages or so. At each checkpoint, a question covers the passage you have just read: a correct answer validates the step, and your progress moves forward like a training plan.

The challenge: validate all 18 checkpoints through to the last page. No giant quiz at the end, no summary to copy out: short questions along the way that prove the book was actually read. It also works as a reading quiz to check your understanding before a test.

Also available in French on Vread.

Illustrative example

Checkpoint 1/18pp. 1–28

What a checkpoint looks like

A short, precise question about the pages you have just read: a character, a place, a choice.

The answer is in the text: reply in the app.

This is not a question from A short history of nearly everything: to avoid spoilers, the real questions stay in the app.

Answer in the app, one checkpoint at a time.

Summary, quiz, reviews: frequently asked questions

How many pages is A short history of nearly everything?
The edition listed on Vread has 500 pages. The exact count varies by edition (paperback, hardback, ebook).
How long does it take to read A short history of nearly everything?
About 9 hours of reading, or 19 days at 30 minutes a day.
Is there a quiz on A short history of nearly everything?
Yes: the Vread app has 18 reading questions on A short history of nearly everything, one per checkpoint, unlocked as you read.
Where can I find a summary of A short history of nearly everything?
Vread does not publish summaries: the app supports reading the book itself, part by part. Checkpoint questions cover what you have just read, which makes them a good way to check you did not miss anything.

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Read A short history of nearly everything with Vread

Add the book to your library, read at your own pace in whatever format you use, and validate each checkpoint. Vread is free on iPhone and Android.

Take the challenge

Written by Vread from its catalogue data (page count of the listed edition, checkpoints, ratings aggregated from 10 ratings). No summary or publisher text is reproduced. Reading times are estimates; see the method in the Vread Reading Barometer (in French).