More Information & Critical Reviews
William McGuire “Bill” Bryson, OBE, FRS was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. He settled in England in 1977, and worked in journalism until he became a full time writer. He lived for many years with his English wife and four children in North Yorkshire. He and his family then moved to New Hampshire in America for a few years, but they have now returned to live in the UK.
In The Lost Continent, Bill Bryson’s hilarious first travel book, he chronicled a trip in his mother’s Chevy around small town America. It was followed by Neither Here Nor There, an account of his first trip around Europe. Other travel books include the massive bestseller Notes From a Small Island, which won the 2003 World Book Day National Poll to find the book which best represented modern England, followed by A Walk in the Woods (in which Stephen Katz, his travel companion from Neither Here Nor There, made a welcome reappearance), Notes From a Big Country and Down Under.
Bill Bryson has also written several highly praised books on the English language, including Mother Tongue and Made in America. In his last book, he turned his attention to science. A Short History of Nearly Everything was lauded with critical acclaim, and became a huge bestseller. It was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize, before going on to win the Aventis Prize for Science Books and the Descartes Science Communication Prize. His next book, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, is a memoir of growing up in 1950s America, featuring another appearance from his old friend Stephen Katz.
“Warm, funny, thoughtful, sometimes grumpy. An absolute joy. + in Country Life: I snorted with laughter…The Road to Little Dribbling is consistently and unendingly fabulous…I intend on buying a copy for everyone I know.” CLARE BALDING
“There were moments when I snorted out loud with laughter while reading this book in public…He can be as gloriously silly as ever.” THE TIMES
“Bryson has no equal. He combines the charm and humour of Michael Palin with the cantankerousness of Victor Meldrew and the result is a benign intolerance that makes for a gloriously funny read.” DAILY EXPRESS
“Everybody loves Bill Bryson, don’t they? He’s clever, witty, entertaining, a great companion…his research is on show here, producing insight, wisdom and startling nuggets of information…Bill Bryson and his new book are the dog’s bollocks.” INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
“At its best as the history of a love affair, the very special relationship between Bryson and Britain. We remain lucky to have him.” FINANCIAL TIMES
“The truly great thing about Bryson is that he really cares and is insanely curious…Reading his work is like going on holiday with the members of Monty Python.” CHRIS TAYLOR, MASHABLE
“At last, Bill Bryson has got back to what he does best – penning travel books that educate, inform and will have you laughing out loud…I was chuckling away by page four and soaking up his historic facts to impress my mates with. Sure to be a bestseller.” SUN
“Stuffed with eye-opening facts and statistics….. Bryson’s charm and wit continue to float off the page….Recognising oneself is part of the pleasure of reading Bryson’s mostly affable rants about Britain and Britishness.” DAILY MAIL
“The observation, the wit, the geniality of Bryson’s inimitable words illuminate ever chapter.” TERRY WOGAN, IRISH TIMES
“His millions of readers will probably enjoy this just as much as its predecessor.” OBSERVER
“We go to him less for insights – though there are plenty of these – and more for the pleasure of his company. And he can be very funny indeed. Almost every page has a line worth quoting.” GLASGOW HERALD
“The funniest travel book I’ve read all year, if only for the number of gags per page.” SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
“He still loves us, indeed he has become one of us. The prologue on the idiocy of the citizenship test is worth the cover price alone.” SUNDAY TIMES BOOKS OF THE YEAR
“The sheer number of gags per page make it an assault on the funny bone.” DAILY TELEGRAPH
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