Bill Bryson

John

Saskia wrote:

I got "A short history of" last year and never got around to it, I must read it soon. Its supposed to very educational and funny.

It is. It really is.

Dave!

I just started 'A Walk in the woods' a few minutes ago, and I'm enjoying it alot so far Really funny, I was hysterical for about a minute on the second or third page We'll see how it goes -- I'll read on a good bit after work.

Chinafoot

I had read the Australian one before I went there and thought it was funny.....but I re-read it when I got back. The man is a genuis.

gaf1983

I'm reading "Made in America" at the moment and have to say it's my favourite one yet. If you like trivia upon trivia upon trivia about language, customs, historical anecdotes and geography then this is what you're gonna get. I love trivia. It doesn't have the same cynical sense of humour as his travel books, but I think it is all the better for this. While they were good (the travel books) I found that after a while they seem to follow the same formula - Bill goes to a new place, sometimes an obscure place and gives an interesting story about it, but also has some snide remark to make about the backward habits of the inhabitants. I find this technique tars the locals all with the same brush and does the books a disservice. "Made in America" focusses both on the development of American culture, but also places much emphasis on the linguistic development of American English.

However, I do have one question arising from the book. In a chapter about how different immigrant groups contributed to the the development of the nation, he includes a sectino on their contributions to the language. He states that the expression "So long" derives from a German phrase. I always presumed it evolved from the Irish phrase "Slán." Can anyone clarify the expression's true origins?

Dave!

^
It could also come from the Hebrew, "shalom"

Have read all his stuff. Enjoyed most of it, perhaps not exactly thought provoking but high on entertainment. Loved Made in America, still flick through it every now and again. On the other hand waded through 100 pages on Mother Tongue and threw it in the bin.

Btw for anyone who liked Short History, I'd recommend Simon Singh's 'Big Bang' which is a great mix of physics, astronomy, cosmology, and loads of trivia about the great scientists. Better than Bryson's book - much more stimulating and less of a collection of glib trivia.

John

In a similar vein to Short History I also recommend John Gribbin's Science: A History 1534-2001. It's a fantastic read as pulls all the different branches of science together to show how they all interact and how discoveries in one field can lead a completely new understanding of others.