Bill Bryson

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An illustrated edition of the bestselling book about the English language

A Really Short History of Words

An illustrated edition of the bestselling book about our incredible anatomy

A Really Short Journey Through the Body

Divided by a Common Language, Journeys in English and more

The Bill Bryson BBC Radio Collection

A Guide for Occupants

The Body Illustrated

A Really Short History of Nearly Everything

A Guide for Occupants - THE SUNDAY TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLER

The Body

An Informal History of American English

Made In America

Icons of England

A Short History of Nearly Everything

Bill Bryson's African Diary

The Story of the English Language

Mother Tongue

Troublesome Words

More Notes from a Small Island

The Road to Little Dribbling

Journey into the American Dream

Notes From A Big Country

A Short History of Private Life

At Home

Travels in Small-Town America

The Lost Continent

Travels in a Sunburned Country

Down Under

Travels Through my Childhood

The Life And Times Of The Thunderbolt Kid

Travels in Europe

Neither Here, Nor There

The World's Funniest Travel Writer Takes a Hike

A Walk In The Woods

America 1927

One Summer

Notes From A Small Island

Not a book that should be read in public, for fear of emitting loud snorts

Splendid... What's enjoyable is that there's as much of Bryson in here as there is of Britain

Bryson is funny because he is not afraid to give completely of himself

Astute and funny...a tribute to [Britain's] enchantments by an unabashed anglophile.

'Not a book that should be read in public, for fear of emitting loud snorts'

'Splendid...What's enjoyable is that there's as much of Bryson in here as there is of Britain'

'Bryson is funny because he is not afraid to give completely of himself'

Journey Through Britain

Brought to you by Penguin. 
 
 
In 1995, before leaving his much-loved home in North Yorkshire to move back to the States for a few years with his family, Bill Bryson insisted on taking one last trip around Britain, a sort of valedictory tour of the green and kindly island that had so long been his home. His aim was to take stock of the nation's public face and private parts (as it were), and to analyse what precisely it was he loved so much about a country that had produced Marmite; a military hero whose dying wish was to be kissed by a fellow named Hardy; place names like Farleigh Wallop, Titsey and Shellow Bowells; people who said 'Mustn't grumble', and 'Ooh lovely' at the sight of a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits; and Gardeners' Question Time. Notes from a Small Island was a huge number-one bestseller when it was first published, and has become the nation's most loved book about Britain, going on to sell over two million copies. 
 
 
© Bill Bryson 1995 (P) Penguin Audio 2010

England's favourite American's book about his adopted country: his hilarious No.1 bestseller.

Bill Bryson (Author, Reader) 
 Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. His bestselling books include The Road to Little Dribbling, Notes from a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods, One Summer and The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. In a national poll, Notes from a Small Island was voted the book that best represents Britain. His acclaimed work of popular science, A Short History of Nearly Everything, won the Aventis Prize and the Descartes Prize, and was the biggest selling non-fiction book of its decade in the UK. His new book The Body: A Guide for Occupants is an extraordinary exploration of the human body which will have you marvelling at the form you occupy. 
Bill Bryson was Chancellor of Durham University 2005-2011. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society. He lives in England.

After nearly two decades in Britain, Bill Bryson took the decision to move back to the States for a while, to let his kids experience life in another country, to give his wife the chance to shop until 10 p.m. seven nights a week, and, most of all, because he had read the 3.7 million Americans believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another, and it was thus clear to him that his people needed him. 
 
But before leaving his much-loved home in North Yorkshire, Bryson insisted on taking one last trip around Britain, a sort of valedictory tour of the green and kindly island that had so long been his home. His aim was to take stock of the nation's public face and private parts (as it were), and to analyse what precisely it was he loved so much about a country that had produced Marmite, a military hero whose dying wish was to be kissed by a fellow named Hardy, place names like Farleigh Wallop, Titsey and Shellow Bowells, people who said 'Mustn't grumble', and Gardeners' Question Time. 
 
So in Notes from a Small Island, Bryson turns a laconic but affectionate eye on his adopted country. Britain will never seem the same again.

Notes From A Small Island

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Bill Bryson

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