[tunap]

"Hopes and fears draw in bold strokes, while knowledge advances by small increments & contradictory witnesses."

His are some of my favorite history books. The Discoverers is a great read, but you could just as easily thumb through and just pick a subject to learn about it's origins... it is a long, history of nearly everything(1). I also highly recommend "The Scene". An oldie but a goodie... so, so far ahead of it's time.

(1)Bryson appears to be a fan, too, as he cites DJB twice in his "At Home" book.