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Bill Bryson Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Author Biography  | Interview  | Books by this Author  | Read-Alikes

Bill Bryson
Photo © Bath & North East Somerset Council

Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson Biography

Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He moved to England, where he worked for The Times and The Independent, and wrote for many major British and American publications.

Bill Bryson's bestselling books include A Walk in the Woods, Notes From a Small Island, In a Sunburned Country, Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words, A Short of History of Nearly Everything, which earned him the 2004 Aventis Prize, and The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. He was chancellor of Durham University, England's third oldest university, from 2005 to 2011, and is an honorary fellow of Britain's Royal Society. Bryson lives in England with his wife and children.

Bill Bryson's website

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Interview

Bill Bryson chats about walking the Appalachian Trail and the book he wrote about his travels - A Walk In The Woods.

Is hiking something you've always enjoyed doing?

Yes, though I've never done it in the States, and it's a completely different experience here because of the scale of everything. If you go out on the Appalachian Trail you have to bring so much more equipment--a tent, sleeping bag--but if you go hiking in England, or Europe, generally, towns and villages are near enough together at the end of the day you can always go to a nice little inn and have a hot bath and something to drink. It's a much more rigorous activity here.

Is there a difference between the culture of hikers here and in Europe?

Well, that's a good question. Essentially they're the same: people who like to go out and walk up hills and go through that sort of vigorous exercise.

What made you choose Katz as your companion? It would seem to be impossible to pick a more ill-suited hiking partner.

(Laughs) It was really a question of Katz choosing me. I quite genuinely didn't want to go out there on my own, I would have been grateful for any kind of companionship. I was just sort of wildly inexperienced at this sort of hiking. I had never camped outside before, never pitched a tent. So I was grateful to have...

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Books by this Author

Books by Bill Bryson at BookBrowse
The Body jacket The Road to Little Dribbling jacket One Summer jacket Seeing Further jacket
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Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for Bill Bryson but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose read-alikes

  • Alan Alda

    Alan Alda

    Alan Alda played Hawkeye Pierce for eleven years in the television series M*A*S*H and has acted in, written, and directed many feature films. He has starred often on Broadway, and his avid interest in science has led to him ... (more)

  • Simon Barnes

    Simon Barnes

    Simon Barnes was born in Bristol in 1951. He is the multi-award-winning chief sportswriter for The Times (London). He is also a nature writer, horseman, and the author of a dozen books, including the bestselling How to Be a ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    The Body

    Try:
    Ten Million Aliens
    by Simon Barnes

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