Last night I finished "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson, one of the most absolutely fascinating books I've read in my entire life. If you have even a passing interest in science, then you want to pick up this book. It covers everything from the formation of the universe, the nature of atoms, the evolution of man, and even the history of science covering how we know what we know. The link to the left is for the illustrated edition, which I did not have, but I would recommend to help enjoy the text. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is how crazy some of these scientists were. In fact - some of the "behind the scenes" stories almost read like a soap opera. All in all, I would definitely recommend this book.