Delhi Class 11 student recognised in new edition of Bill Bryson’s book

New Delhi: Bestselling American-British author Bill Bryson has recognised a Delhi schoolboy in the latest edition of his popular-science book, "A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0", for flagging an etymological mistake that had remained undetected for more than 20 years.

In the updated edition, Bryson thanked Kanishk Sharma, a class 11 student at Air Force Bal Bharati School (AFBBS) in Delhi, for “correcting an etymological error that sat in this book for more than twenty years, apparently unnoticed by anyone".

The issue began with Bryson’s 2003 edition, which mistakenly described the word asteroids as Latin for “starlike", even though it actually comes from Greek -- derived from aste, meaning “starlike". The mistake remained unnoticed until Sharma spotted it while reading the book in June last year. He subsequently contacted Penguin Random House UK, the publisher, which passed his message along to Bryson. The latest edition now carries the corrected explanation.

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“Bryson replied to my email, saying he would review my inputs and, if they were correct, he would correct them and include a mention in the acknowledgements. He kept his promise, and my name now appears in the acknowledgements of the new edition. It feels wonderful to know that I was able to contribute something that had previously gone unnoticed by millions of readers,” Sharma, a fan of Bryson's writings, including "The Body: A Guide for Occupants", told PTI.

Sharma’s contribution has also been formally praised by his school’s principal, Sunita Gupta, who awarded him a letter of appreciation for the achievement. “In this era of screen addiction, it is refreshing to note that you are deeply engrossed in reading science fiction… It was delightful to see your name mentioned in the acknowledgements by Bill Bryson," read the appreciation letter.

For the uninitiated, the UK-based Bryson, former Chancellor of Durham University and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society, has authored 18 books. His "A Short History of Nearly Everything" won the Aventis Prize and the Descartes Prize, and was touted to be the biggest-selling non-fiction book of the decade in the UK.