BILL BRYSON

“I know this goes without saying, but Stonehenge really was the most incredible accomplishment.  It took five hundred men just to pull each sarsen, plus a hundred more to dash around positioning the rollers.  Just think about it for a minute.  Can you imagine trying to talk six hundred people into helping you drag a fifty-ton stone eighteen miles across the countryside and muscle it into an upright position, and then saying, 'Right, lads! Another twenty like that, plus some lintels and maybe a couple of dozen nice bluestones from Wales, and we can party!'  Whoever was the person behind Stonehenge was one dickens of a motivator, I'll tell you that.”
― Bill Bryson, Notes from a Small Island   

ABOUT BILL BRYSON

In our humble opinion, the world needs more people like Bill Bryson.  Born in Iowa in the early 1950's, Bryson is one of today's most popular travel writers, best known for his fantastic and often self-deprecating sense of humor and his blunt insightful observations on life.  Expect to laugh out loud repeatedly.  One of his first books, The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America, summarizes his 14,000 mile road trip through the heart of the United States and his experience with real everyday Americans along the way.  Bryson moved to England in 1977 where he lived for almost twenty years, and so his comparisons between English and American culture are especially funny.  He rose to prominence with Notes from a Small Island, his hilarious account of a final trip across all corners of the United Kingdom, using his travels as a backdrop for insights into the amazing history of this part of the world.  He later published I'm A Stranger Here Myself, a collection of articles written for a British newspaper on the experience of repatriation to the United States.  He is perhaps best known for A Walk in the Woods, the story of his decision to attempt to hike the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail while in his forties.  All of his books are also very well researched, with detailed background on the history of each place he visits.  Bryson is really a modern day Mark Twain, with a blend of wit, insight, satire and self-deprecating humor that will make you want to read everything he has written.  Bill Bryson was also the guest editor of the inaugural edition of The Best American Travel Writing series, published in 2000.

TOP PICK - THE ROAD TO LITTLE DRIBBLING: ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN IN BRITAIN

Bill Bryson’s latest travel book is called The Road to Little Dribbling, the story of a tour he took around the United Kingdom in 2015, observing, complaining and teasing along the way.  He made a similar trip 20 years earlier, as recounted in Notes from a Small Island. This time around Bryson is more focused on how the modern world as changed, bringing a slightly gloomier view.  With that said, the commentary is still as funny as always, and his perceptive appreciation for English history, culture and values shines through.​  While it  is a good book, pure Bryson in every way, we do recommend reading Notes from a Small Island first.  See more.

A5 RECOMMENDATIONS - BILL BRYSON BOOKS

OTHER RECOMMENDED BOOKS BY BILL BRYSON

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid (2006) is a memoir written by humorist Bill Bryson in 2006, summarizing his youth growing up in the Midwestern United States in the baby boomer generation of the post-war 1950's.  The book's title comes from his imaginary all-powerful alter-ego, a superhero who can vaporize tormentors.  He connects the reader very personally to this part of American history, including the development of the atomic bomb in the cold war, and the start of the civil rights movement, through the eyes of a child.  A great book especially for those who grew up in the 50s, and of course for fans of Bill Bryson.
In 2002, Bill Bryson was invited to visit Kenya with Care International, one of the world's leading charity organizations dedicated to working with communities across the world to create long-term solutions to eradicate poverty.  This was Bryson's first trip to Africa, and his diary provides a poignant account of his experience, starting from his arrival into Nairobi, to his tour of the Kibera slum, a trip to the Karen Blixen house from Out of Africa, his time in the  vast Great Rift Valley, and of course, his visit to the refugee camps supported by Care International.  The book is a very quick read with only 49 pages, but it is a compelling insight into Africa of course written with the irreverent and personal style that has made Bryson so popular.  And perhaps most importantly, all royalties and profits are donated to Care International.

BILL BRYSON'S BOOKS ON HISTORY AND SCIENCE

Bill Bryson's wonderful ability to tell a story provides an entertaining and more accessible way to tackle tough topics, like history, linguistics, and science.  His latest book, The Body (2019), is a funny and very interesting exploration of the body, from head to toe.  A Short History of Nearly Everything (2003), dives deep into the general sciences, explaining the mysteries of chemistry, paleontology, astronomy and even quantum mechanics, in a very relatable way.  His latest book, One Summer: America 1927, covers key events in a monumental year in American history, including the Lindbergh transatlantic flight, and Babe Ruth's amazing season with the New York Yankees.  

INTERESTING LINKS:

  • Read Michael Shapiro's interview with Bill Bryson in A Sense of Place, a collection of face-to-face discussions with some the world's best travel writers on their craft and on their inspiration.

BILL BRYSON INTERVIEW - YOUTUBE