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. Next, 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. 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. October 8, 2009, saw the publication of A Really Short History of Nearly Everything.
Recent titles include: At Home: A Short History of Private Life, One Summer, America: 1927, The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain and his 2019 release The Body: A Guide for Occupants.
Interviews
“I enjoy the preposterousness of life” The legendary travel author talks road trips, great guides, and his favorite place on earth (hint: it’s not where you’d expect!) – Wanderlust Travel Magazine
I’m a Stranger Here Myself – Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away | NY Times Archive
Bill Bryson’s Latest Is A Different Kind Of Journey — Into ‘The Body’ – NPR
Bill Bryson on Being Selective With Research – Research Live
Social Media
Have you read any of his books? Do you have a favorite?
Did you enjoy this post? Please take a few seconds and click to retweet! [bctt tweet=”Happy Birthday Bill Bryson #BillBryson #orangecountyreads”]

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive compensation if you make a purchase using this link. Thank you for supporting this blog and the books I recommend! I may have received a book for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Follow OrangeCountyReaders on Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Support Us on Ko-Fi and Amazon. And please, feel free to leave a comment!
I haven’t read any of these titles. Which do you recommend?
LikeLike
The only one I’ve read Is The Body which was excellent.
LikeLike
👍
LikeLike