Bill Bryson Wins Aventis Prizes for Science Books 2004.Business Editors/Science Writers/Education Writers LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 14, 2004 www.aventisprizes.com American author, Bill Bryson has won the General Prize for the Aventis Prizes for Science Books 2004, with his first popular science based book, A Short History of Nearly Everything (Doubleday/Transworld). Travelling through time and space, Bill Bryson's book introduces us to the universe, the world and the rise of civilisation. A judging panel of six, chaired by Professor Robert Winston </skitime.jpg> Robert Maurice Lipson Winston, Baron Winston (born July 15, 1940) is a British doctor, scientist, politician, and television presenter. Life and career Winston was born in London to Laurence Winston and Ruth Winston-Fox. selected the winning title for the prestigious international book award, which celebrates the very best in popular science writing for adults and children. Professor Robert Winston comments: "This ambitious book will communicate science to the widest possible audience in an intelligent and highly accessible way." Commenting on the overall shortlist short·list also short-list n. A list of preferable items or candidates that have been selected for final consideration, as in making an award or filling a position. Noun 1. , the judging panel said: "The committee felt that this was a particularly outstanding shortlist and our unanimous decision A Unanimous Decision is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking in which all 3 judges agree on which fighter won the match. was made only after considerable discussion." Lord May of Oxford, President of the Royal Society The President of the Royal Society (PRS) is the elected head of the Royal Society of London. The position is now awarded to a member of the scientific community of the British Commonwealth for a period of five years, and is one of the highest honours that can be bestowed upon a and Dr Dirk Oldenburg, Chairman of the Board of Management of the Aventis Foundation presented the GBP GBP In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the British Pound. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. 10,000 prize to Bill Bryson and GBP 1,000 to each of the shortlisted authors at an award ceremony at the Royal Society in London. A Short History of Nearly Everything is Bill Bryson's quest to explain the world that we live in through an in-depth study of seven distinct topics: the origins of the universe; the historical discovery of the size and age of the earth; relativity and quantum theory quantum theory, modern physical theory concerned with the emission and absorption of energy by matter and with the motion of material particles; the quantum theory and the theory of relativity together form the theoretical basis of modern physics. ; the present and future threats to life and the planet, the origins and history of life and the evolution of man. His sheer curiosity invites readers to question the origins of the universe and how we got from there being nothing at all, to here being the people that we are today. The shortlisted books are: -- In the Beginning Was the Worm By Andrew Brown (Simon & Schuster) -- A Short History of Nearly Everything By Bill Bryson (Doubleday/Transworld) -- Magic Universe By Nigel Calder (Oxford University Press) -- Mutants By Armand Marie Leroi Armand Leroi was born in Wellington, New Zealand on the 16 July 1964. A Dutch citizen, his youth was spent in New Zealand, South Africa and Canada. He was awarded a BSc. by Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada in 1989, and a Ph.D. by the University of California, Irvine in 1993. (HarperCollins) -- Nature via Nurture By Matt Ridley (Fourth Estate) -- Backroom Boys By Francis Spufford (Faber & Faber) 2004 saw the Royal Society receive a record number of entries for the General Prize up almost 20 per cent on the previous year. Stephen Cox, Executive Secretary of the Royal Society, says: "We were delighted with the sheer volume of exceptional entries for this year's prizes. The shortlist covered a broad range of fascinating subjects and A Short History of Nearly Everything reflects the high calibre of compelling writing that the Aventis Prizes have become synonymous with." The Aventis Prizes For Science Books 2004 are managed by The Royal Society, the UK national academy of science, and generously supported by the Aventis Foundation, a German charitable trust The arrangement by which real or Personal Property given by one person is held by another to be used for the benefit of a class of persons or the general public. established by Aventis, a world leader in pharmaceuticals. 2003's General Prize was won by Chris McManus for his investigation into the lop-sided universe, Right Hand, Left Hand. Other previous winners include Stephen Hawking, Robert Kunzig and Stephen Jay Gould Noun 1. Stephen Jay Gould - United States paleontologist and popularizer of science (1941-2002) Gould . Notes to Editors Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa “Des Moines” redirects here. For other uses, see Des Moines (disambiguation). Des Moines (pronounced /dɪˈmɔɪn/ in English, , in 1951. He settled in England in 1977, and lived for many years with his English wife and four children in North Yorkshire. He and his family then moved to America for a few years but have now returned to the UK. He is the bestselling author of The Lost Continent, Mother Tongue, Neither Here Nor There, Made in America, Notes From a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods, Notes From a Big Country Notes from a Big Country, or as it was released in the United States, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, is a collection of articles written by Bill Bryson for the Daily Mail's Night and Day supplement, published together in 1999. , Down Under and, most recently, A Short History of Nearly Everything. He is also the author of the bestselling African Diary (a charity book for CARE International). www.aventisprizes.com |
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