Includes bibliographical references (pages 573-651) and index.

From the author of the science classic A Short History of Nearly Everything, and one of the bestselling and most beloved nonfiction writers in the English language, a tour de force excursion in and around the human body -- how it works in all of its glorious complexity and how it inevitably fails to do so. Bill Bryson once again proves himself to be an incomparable companion as he guides us through the human body--how it functions, its remarkable ability to heal itself, and (unfortunately) the ways it can fail. Full of extraordinary facts (your body made a million red blood cells since you started reading this) and irresistible Bryson-esque anecdotes, The Body will lead you to a deeper understanding of the miracle that is life in general and you in particular. As Bill Bryson writes, "We pass our existence within this wobble of flesh and yet take it almost entirely for granted." The Body will cure that indifference with generous doses of wondrous, compulsively readable facts and information.