Aha, that’s the one I’m thinking of. I just really didn’t see the point in comparing current Europe from the perspective of a middle-aged man to 20-years-ago Europe (as a student). I don’t think I’ll ruin it if I say he thinks pretty much everything sucks now.
Huge fan of Bryson here. An ex-boyfriend loaned me The Lost Continent when we were in college and I’ve been hooked ever since. I must have read that book 20 times before I heard of his next book coming out as I couldn’t get enough of his writing style. Because of The Lost Continent I’ve become hugely interested in the history and geneology of the Melungeons. I’ve read every one of his books from cover to cover – usually more than once as they take some time to absorb. They’re fun, emotional, thoughtful, observant, and make you want to see just what he’s seeing. I’d love to take the “Bryson Tour” and visit all the places he’s lamented and praised.
The only one I’ve been disappointed in is An African Diary. Even though the profits go to CARE International, the book is not even 50 pages in length. I was really excited about reading a travelogue on a largely undiscovered land such as Africa, but after seeing this book I’d rather have just given a donation to the charity.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned “Made in America”, a delightful history of how American English developed.
It includes a truly amazing amount of information on everything that influenced the language, which is to say, nearly everything.
Yep, I’ve also read all his travel books and several of the language books.
I like his light-hearted witty style, which is a welcome change in travel-writing books in comparison to the depth of many other ‘travel’ writers (whom I also do love to read) like Paul Theroux, Colin Thurbon, Sara Wheeler or Wilfred Thiesiger. Bryson adds a more human touch to the journeys he takes, a more commonly understood instinct towards safety rather than danger. It always seems his experience is truly something to really relate to rather than some abstract experience which can only be read about but not ever experienced in your own life.
Shakespeare, I also enjoyed that book very much.
I’ve read every one of Bill Bryson’s books and own a great deal of them. I’m surprised no one has mentioned yet “I’m A Stranger Here Myself”, his collection of columns that originally ran in a newspaper. Wide variety of topics, all hysterically funny.
“A Short History Of Nearly Everything” was one of my fifteeth-birthday gifts, and although it took me a week to get through it, it’s one of the most interesting books I’ve ever read. The section on perfume being the distilled essence of “unseen sea monsters” had me rolling on the floor and other people looking a bit strangely at me.
Both “The Mother Tongue” and “Made In America” have influenced me to the point where I’m seriously considering going into linguistics. It’s a fascinating field.
If that’s the case, then I suspect you should prepare youself to find that your hero is less than adequate when it comes to linguistics, wordorigins, and original research. His books are a great read, but his methodology sucks. He relies on popular modern sources, which are quite often incorrect. Don’t trust his assertions as to etymolgy, etc. He really is out of his league in that field.
Another fan of Bill Bryson’s books checking in. Not much i can add that has not been said already. Just to say that being from England, it was interesting to read his perspective of this little country. Also, Neither Here Nor There seems to be getting lukewarm comments - personally i enjoyed that one as much as any of his others.
His books are immensely enjoyable, very funny, sharp, intelligent yet easy to read - I don’t mean easy to read in a throwaway lightweight sense - he has that rare talent of making the job of an author look easier than it really is. His previous editorial jobs have probably honed his skills to the point that he can spot any superfluous padding and waffle of his own and trash it. Never a dull moment.
i have enjoyed his books. a walk in the woods and sunburned country are my favs.
Yet another fan.
I remember hearing one critic dismiss Bryson’s work as “toilet reading”, presumably because it can be light and undemanding.
I don’t understand his problem - I usually have a copy of Bryson on a rack in the cloakroom for the “casual reader”, and I find it easy to read/reread most of his works.
For me it is more “Martini reading”, anytime, any place, anywhere.
For other fans, did you know that he made a short TV series (6 episodes) reprising “Notes from a Small Isalnd”? More details here.
I read and enjoyed The Lost Continent, The Mother Tongue, and Made in America.
But A Walk in the Woods just pissed me off. You want to write a book about the Appalachian Trail, then hike the fucking Appalachian Trail. Don’t quit after a couple hundred miles and then write the book anyway.
This may have killed him for me. A friend sent me her copy of A Sunburned Country after she was done with it, and I read the first chapter, and decided I really didn’t need to read another Bill Bryson book, even if I did get it free. “Okay, this is what he does, I get it, I got it, I got it three times, now I’ll move on to something else.”
I’m saddened to hear Bryson’s research is not well done. He’s nothing if not thorough (going on his bibliography in the back of each book). I guess he needs to check his sources rather more.
Heard much that was good about him and finally read <i>Lost Continent</i>. Thoroughly dis-enjoyed it. He’s pretty mean-spirited at times.
He may be mourning the destruction of small-town America, but he is also pretty mean to those that live there.
So, I’ve been turned off his other stuff. But if he really has improved a lot, maybe I’ll try some of it out.
I do believe that Ed Zotti reads them. He sent me a couple of Bryson’s books a while back, and spoke highly of them. I enjoyed them quite a bit.
Sorry I missed this thread when it was more current. I really enjoyed two of his books: A Walk in the Woods and In a Sunburned Country. It would have been nice if he had walked the entire Appalachian Trail, but I don’t think the way he dabbled in it really detracts from the book.
Have you Bryson fans seen the BB entry in the famous “What if LOTR had been written by someone else?” thread? Modesty forbids me mentioning the name of the author of that one. 
I like to read Bryson in between Theroux essays (he’s so serious I sometimes wonder if he doesn’t see life and traveling as medicine he has to take), for a little fun. I disliked A Walk in the Woods in the end, for the same reason Uke Ike did; he didn’t accomplish his goal! Finishing the hike properly was the entire premise of the book and he copped out. Until then, it was a good book and I’ve since forgiven him. sniff