Saturday 12 November 2011

Bill Bryson - Funniest Author Ever

Bill Bryson - Funniest Author Ever

What can I say, this is not only one of the funniest guys, he is so full of information on anything, travel, languages, science, history, literature, ... you name it, he knows it. If only every school book was written in such an entertaining manner, kids would certainly learn everything in no time. I have spent many, many happy hours reading anything by him.

I have written a review about most of the books I read (working on the rest), here are the links:

Travel
Afrika: "Bill Bryson's African Diary" - 2002  
Australia: "Down Under" (UK) or "In a Sunburned Country" (US) - 2000
Europe: "The Palace under the Alps and Over 200 Other Unusual, Unspoiled and Infrequently Visited Spots in 16 European Countries" - 1985
"Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe" - 1991
"Notes from a Big Country" (UK) or "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" (US) - 1999

Language
"The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way" (US) / "Mother Tongue: The English Language" (UK) - 1990
"Made in America" (UK) or "Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States" (US) - 1994
"Troublesome Words" - 1997
"Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors" – 2008

"A Really Short History of Nearly Everything. Children's version" - 2008
"On the Shoulders of Giants" - 2009 (editor)
"Seeing Further: The Story of Science, Discovery and the Genius of the Royal Society" - 2010 (editor)
"The Body. A Guide for Occupants" - 2019


"Icons of England" - 2008 (editor)
"One Summer: America 1927" - 2013


Why some of his books have to have two different English titles, is beyond me, but that's just the case.

Picture from Goodreads.

Of course, an author like Bill Bryson, also has his own website.

See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2023.

5 comments:

  1. This is one of the best and most accurate review I have seen about Bill Bryson. Love it!!!

    "He arrives at his destination, finds a hotel, checks in, meanders around the neighbourhood, visits any museums or public monuments he happens to encounter, has a couple of drinks, eavesdrops on a conversation or two, then goes to bed. A year later, people on three continents are hospitalised as a result of ruptures caused by laughing so hard at his account of the experience."
    THE AGE, MELBOURNE about his book "DOWN UNDER"

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  2. Fantastic hun, what a comprehensive review, puts mine to shame. You have read and reviewed so many of his books. I have a lot of catching up to do. Great reviews. Kat

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    1. Thanks, Kat. None of our posts are there to put someone else to shame. Yours was also great, just about the books you loved most. It's always a great opportunity to talk about one of our favourite authors. He will be sadly missed if he really stops writing.

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  3. You really need to add Me Talk Pretty One Day under language. So so good

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    1. I mentioned it on the #Throwback Thursday post, Me Talk Pretty ... is by David Sedaris.

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