Bill Bryson Libri

Mentre ero in volo sul Pacifico e guardavo pigramente dal finestrino l'oceano illuminato dalla luna, mi si presentò alla mente, con una forza piuttosto inquietante, la consapevolezza di non sapere nulla dell'unico pianeta sul quale mi sarebbe mai capitato di vivere. Quanto è grande, infatti, il nostro pianeta? Come è fatto? Quali leggi ne governano il moto, la natura e i fenomeni? Per colmare questa lacuna, Bill Bryson decide di partire per un viaggio molto diverso da quelli che ci ha raccontato nei suoi libri: un viaggio nel mondo del sapere scientifico, per narrarci la storia dell'universo e farci comprendere, senza inutili difficoltà, la teoria della relatività e le sue conseguenze, i segreti del Big Bang, le leggi dell'evoluzionismo, la comparsa dell'uomo sulla terra, la doppia elica del DNA e molto altro. Con una scrittura sempre ironica, e senza mai rinunciare al gusto dell'aneddoto e della battuta, Bryson ci fa incontrare le personalità che hanno fatto e stanno facendo la storia della scienza, lasciandoci alla fine la sensazione di conoscere meglio il mondo in cui viviamo, ma anche quella, piacevolissima, di avere letto un romanzo ricco di sorprese e curiosità

L'Appalachian Trail: un sentiero di 3.400 chilometri che si snoda attraverso 14 Stati americani, dalla Georgia al Maine. Il sogno di tutti gli amanti della natura e dell'avventura. Ed è proprio in cerca di avventura che, all'età di 44 anni, Bill Bryson, in compagnia dell'amico Stephen Katz, si cimenta nell'impresa di percorrere a piedi il leggendario sentiero, senza la minima cognizione delle elementari norme di sopravvivenza nella natura selvaggia. L'avventura dei due cittadini si svolge all'insegna di una divertita incoscienza tra bufere di neve, nugoli di insetti, incontri con gli animali selvatici e con una sorprendente varietà di individui.

Armato di taccuino e di una dose inesauribile di entusiasmo, ironia e curiosità, Bryson ha attraversato in treno l'interno desertico dell'Australia, da Sidney a Perth, lungo la leggendaria Indian Pacific, con i suoi 468 chilometri di estensione. Ha guidato nelle città e lungo le strade costiere, ha camminato nei parchi e navigato su fiumi e tratti di mare, ha incontrato nostalgici hippy e vecchie signore strampalate.

Bill Bryson's first travel book, The Lost Continent, was unanimously acclaimed as one of the funniest books in years. In Neither Here nor There he brings his unique brand of humour to bear on Europe as he shoulders his backpack, keeps a tight hold on his wallet, and journeys from Hammerfest, the northernmost town on the continent, to Istanbul on the cusp of Asia. Fluent in, oh, at least one language, he retraces his travels as a student twenty years before. Whether braving the homicidal motorist of Paris, being robbed by gypsies in Florence, attempting not to order tripe and eyeballs in a German restaurant, window-shopping in the sex shops of the Reeperbahn or disputing his hotel bill in Copenhagen, Bryson takes in the sights, dissects the culture and illuminates each place and person with his hilariously caustic observations. He even goes to Liechtenstein.

La storia di un viaggio nell'altra America, quella delle piccole città in cui la vita è rimasta ferma agli anni Cinquanta, il racconto dolce e amaro di un americano che, dopo aver vissuto dieci anni in Inghilterra, ha voluto realizzare un viaggio di scoperta, tornando nei luoghi magici della sua fanciullezza. Bryson è tornato a casa, con la vecchia Chevrolet della madre ha coperto un percorso di 22.500 chilometri, attraverso 38 stati, viaggiando quasi sempre su strade secondarie, da una cittadina all'altra. Ha così visto quasi tutto ciò che aveva previsto e moltissimo di ciò che non aveva programmato.

The book has achieved bestseller status in both hardback and paperback formats, highlighting its widespread popularity and appeal among readers. Its compelling narrative and engaging characters have resonated with a diverse audience, contributing to its commercial success. This recognition underscores the book's impact and relevance in contemporary literature.

'A sure fire winner . . . sparkles with interest and excitement throughout' Guardian Best Children's Books of 2023 'Offers children a series of fascinating scientific facts' Daily Telegraph We spend our whole lives in one body and yet most of us have practically no idea how it works and what goes on inside it. Want to know why the skin is the biggest organ? Why our brains can see into the future? Or why your eyes are back to front? Packed full of facts, big numbers (such as the amount of microbes that make you) and small numbers (the size of those very tiny microbes) all in full-colour. This non-fiction book, packed with wonder from the globally bestselling Bill Bryson is a head-to-toe tour of the most amazing thing about you - YOUR BODY!

"Originally published in hardcover in the United States by Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York, and simultaneously published in hardcover in Great Britain by Doubleday, an imprint of Transworld Publishers, a division of Penguin Random House Ltd., London, in 2019."--Title page verso.

In the summer of 1927, America had a booming stock market, a president who worked just four hours a day (and slept much of the rest), a devastating flood of the Mississippi, a sensational murder trial, and an unknown aviator named Charles Lindbergh who became the most famous man on earth. It was the summer that saw the birth of talking pictures, the invention of television, the peak of Al Capone's reign of terror, the horrifying bombing of a school in Michigan, the thrillingly improbable return to greatness of an over-the-hill baseball player named Babe Ruth, and an almost impossible amount more. In this hugely entertaining book, Bill Bryson spins a story of brawling adventure, reckless optimism and delirious energy. With the trademark brio, wit and authority that has made him Britain's favourite writer of narrative non-fiction, he brings to life a forgotten summer when America came of age, took centre stage, and changed the world for ever.

Bill Bryson drove 14,000 miles in search of the mythical small town of his youth. Instead he found a lookalike strip of gas stations, motels and hamburger joints; a continent lost to itself through greed, pollution and television, and lost to him because he had become a foreigner in his own country. A funny and serious view of smalltown America.

Bill Bryson's beautifully illustrated book explores the evolution of the English language, from its earliest words to the first dictionaries. Suitable for all ages, it answers intriguing questions about language origins, including Viking influences and Shakespeare's contributions, making it an extraordinary journey through words and humor.

After nearly two decades in Britain, Bill Bryson took the decision to move Mrs Bryson, little Jimmy et al. back to the States for a while. But before leaving his much-loved Yorkshire, Bryson insisted on taking one last trip around old Blighty, a sort of valedictory tour of the green and kindly island that had for so long been his home. The resulting book, Notes from a Small Island, is a eulogy to the country that produced Marmite, George Formby, by-elections, milky tea, place names like Farleigh Wallop, Titsey and Shellow Bowels, Gardeners' Question Time and people who say, 'Mustn't grumble'. Britain will never seem the same again.Once ensconced back home in New Hampshire, Bryson couldn't resist the invitation to write a weekly dispatch for the Mail on Sunday's Night & Day magazine. Notes from a Big Country is a collection of eighteen months' worth of his popular columns about that strangest of phenomena - the American way of life. Whether discussing the dazzling efficiency of the garbage disposal unit, the exoticism of having your groceries bagged for you, or the mind-numbing frequency of commercial breaks on American TV, Bill Bryson brings his inimitable brand of bemused wit to bear on the world's richest and craziest country.The Complete Notes combines two of Bill Bryson's best-loved travel books in one volume, It demonstrates his unique take on life - from either side of the pond.

Omnibus edition of A Walk in the Woods and Down Under, which is also published under the title In a Sunburned Country.Combined in one volume are Bryson's "Down Under/In a Sunburned Country", an account of his memorable walk across Australia, and "A Walk in the Woods", that tells of his lengthy stroll along the longest continuous footpath in the world - The Appalachian Trail, with his old friend Stephen Katz. The Trail stretches along the East Coast of the United States, from Georgia to Maine, through some of the most arresting and celebrated landscapes in America - the Smoky Mountains, Shenandoah National Park, the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts and the Great North Woods of Maine.

In these pages, the beloved Bill Bryson gives us a fascinating history of the modern home, taking us on a room-by-room tour through his own house and using each room to explore the vast history of the domestic artifacts we take for granted. As he takes us through the history of our modern comforts, Bryson demonstrates that whatever happens in the world eventually ends up in our home, in the paint, the pipes, the pillows, and every item of furniture. Bryson has one of the liveliest, most inquisitive minds on the planet, and his sheer prose fluency makes At Home one of the most entertaining books ever written about private life.

Sometime this century the day will arrive when the human influence on the climate will overwhelm all other natural factors. If nothing is done, the twenty-first century will see global warming that could lead to conditions the planet has not seen in forty million years. With one out of every five living things on this planet committed to extinction by the levels of greenhouse gases that will accumulate in the next few decades, we are now reaching a global climatic tipping point. The Weather Makers is both an urgent warning and a call to arms, outlining the history of climate change, how it will unfold over the next century, and what we can do to prevent a cataclysmic future. Along with a riveting history of how climate change has shaped our planet's evolution, Flannery offers specific suggestions for action for both lawmakers and individuals, from investing in renewable power sources like wind, solar, and geothermal energy, to offering an action plan with steps each and every one of us can take right now to reduce deadly CO[subscript 2] emissions by as much as 70 percent. The Weather Makers is the most ambitious book yet written by a world-renowned scientist on the greatest crisis facing the twenty-first century. Book jacket.

This guide to Sardinia opens with a 16-page section featuring photography of the island's highlights from the beaches of the southern coast to the evocative prehistoric ruins of the nuraghi. The following chapters provide informative accounts of all the sights, from the lively capital of Cagliari to the Smerelda coast. There are reviews of the best places to eat, drink and sleep in every region and practical advice on exploring the island whether by bicycle, car, boat or on foot. Finally, there is comprehensive coverage of Sardinia's history, culture, art and festivals.

A classic from the New York Times bestselling author of A Walk in the Woods and The Body. After living in Britain for two decades, Bill Bryson recently moved back to the United States with his English wife and four children (he had read somewhere that nearly 3 million Americans believed they had been abducted by aliens—as he later put it, "it was clear my people needed me"). They were greeted by a new and improved America that boasts microwave pancakes, twenty-four-hour dental-floss hotlines, and the staunch conviction that ice is not a luxury item. Delivering the brilliant comic musings that are a Bryson hallmark, I'm a Stranger Here Myself recounts his sometimes disconcerting reunion with the land of his birth. The result is a book filled with hysterical scenes of one man's attempt to reacquaint himself with his own country, but it is also an extended if at times bemused love letter to the homeland he has returned to after twenty years away.

With Troublesome Words, journalist and bestselling travel-writer Bill Bryson gives us a clear, concise and entertaining guide to problems of English usage and spelling. Originally published as The Penguin Dictionary of Troublesome Words, it has been an indispensable companion to those who work with the written word for nearly twenty years. Now fully updated and revised, it is better than ever. So if you want to discover whether you should care about split infinitives, are cursed with an uncontrollable outbreak of commas or were wondering if that newsreader was right to say 'an historic day', this superb book is the place to find out.

Some say that the first hint that Bill Bryson was not of Planet Earth came when his mother sent him to school in lime-green Capri pants. Others think it all started with his discovery, at the age of six, of a woollen jersey of rare fineness. Across the moth-holed chest was a golden thunderbolt. It may have looked like an old college football sweater, but young Bryson knew better. It was obviously the Sacred Jersey of Zap, and proved that he had been placed with this innocuous family in the middle of America to fly, become invisible, shoot guns out of people's hands from a distance, and wear his underpants over his jeans in the manner of Superman. Bill Bryson's first travel book opened with the immortal line, 'I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to.' In his deeply funny new memoir, he travels back in time to explore the ordinary kid he once was, and the curious world of 1950s America. It was a happy time, when almost everything was good for you, including DDT, cigarettes and nuclear fallout. This is a book about growing up in a specific time and place. But in Bryson's hands, it becomes everyone's story, one that will speak volumes - especially to anyone who has ever been young.

The author of the acclaimed The Lost Continent now steers us through the quirks and byways of the English language. We learn why island, freight, and colonel are spelled in such unphonetic ways, why four has a u in it but forty doesn't, plus bizarre and enlightening facts about some of the patriarchs of this peculiar language.

After nearly two decades in Britain, Bill Bryson took the decision to move back to the States for a while, to let his kids experience life in another country, to give his wife the chance to shop until 10 p.m. seven nights a week, and, most of all, because he had read that 3.7 million Americans believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another, and it was thus clear to him that his people needed him. But before leaving his much-loved home in North Yorkshire, Bryson insisted on taking one last trip around Britain, a sort of valedictory tour of the green and kindly island that had so long been his home. His aim was to take stock of the nation's public face and private parts (as it were), and to analyse what precisely it was he loved so much about a country that produced Marmite, a military hero whose dying wish was to be kissed by a fellow named Hardy, place names like Farleigh Wallop, Titsey and Shellow Bowells, people who said 'Mustn't grumble', and Gardeners' Question Time -- Back cover

From Perfectly Formed Potatoes To Adulterous Us Presidents, And From Domestic Upsets To Millennial Fever, Bill Bryson Just Cannot Resist Airing His Opinions And Standing Up For His (Mostly) Law-Abiding Fellow American Citizens. But Of Course After Twenty Years In England, He Is Now Back On The Other Side Of The Pond, And Is Obviously Having A Little Trouble Finding His True American Self Again.After Vigorous Exercise On The Appalachian Trail Comes This Edited Collection Of Bryson S Most Splenetic Comic Pieces Culled From His Humorous Regular Column In The Mail On Sunday.

Cover Illustration: Trevor Scobie Set the controls for the heart of the sun. The Captain bent in the warm air, cursing, felt his hands run over the cold machine, and while he worked he saw a future which was removed from them by the merest breath. He saw the skin peel from the rocket beehive, men thus revealed running, running, mouths shrieking, soundless. Space was a black mossed well where life drowned its roars and terrors. Scream a big scream, but space snuffed it out before it was half up your throat. Men scurried, ants in a flaming matchbox; the ship was dripping lava, gushing steam, nothing! Journey with the century's most popular fantasy writer into a world of wonder and horror beyond your wildest dreams. Contents: - The Fog Horn (1951) - The Pedestrian (1951) - The April Witch (1952) - The Wilderness (1952) - The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl (1948) - Invisible Boy (1945) - The Flying Machine (1953) - The Murderer (1953) - The Golden Kite, the Silver Wind (1953) - I See You Never (1947) - Embroidery (1951) - The Big Black and White Game (1945) - A Sound of Thunder (1952) - The Great Wide World Over There (1952) - Powerhouse (1948) - En la Noche (1952) - Sun and Shadow (1953) - The Meadow (1953) - The Garbage Collector (1953) - The Great Fire (1949) - Hail and Farewell (1953) - The Golden Apples of the Sun (1953)

This short biography of William Shakespeare by world famous writer Bill Bryson brims with the author's inimitable wit and intelligence.

In 1995, Iowa native Bill Bryson took a motoring trip around Britain to explore that green and pleasant land. The uproarious book that resulted, Notes from a Small Island, is one of the most acute portrayals of the United Kingdom ever written. Two decades later, Bryson—now a British citizen—set out again to rediscover his adopted country. In these pages, he follows a straight line through the island—from Bognor Regis to Cape Wrath—and shows us every pub, stone village, and human foible along the way. Whether he is dodging cow attacks in Torcross, getting lost in the H&M on Kensington High Street, or—more seriously—contemplating the future of the nation’s natural wonders in the face of aggressive development, Bryson guides us through the old and the new with vivid detail and laugh-out-loud humor. Irreverent, endearing, and always hilarious, The Road to Little Dribbling is filled with Bill Bryson’s deep knowledge and love of his chosen home.

Bill Bryson turns away from the highways and byways of middle America, so hilariously depicted in his bestselling The Lost Continent, for a fast, exhilarating ride along the Route 66 of American language and popular culture. In Made in America, Bryson de-mythologizes his native land - explaining how a dusty desert hamlet with neither woods nor holly became Hollywood, how the Wild West wasn't won, why Americans say 'lootenant' and 'Toosday', how Americans were eating junk food long before the word itself was cooked up - as well as exposing the true origins of the G-string, the original $64,000 question and Dr Kellogg of cornflakes fame. Buy this book at once and have a nice day!

Edited and introduced by Bill Bryson, with contributions from Richard Dawkins, Margaret Atwood, Richard Holmes, Martin Rees, Richard Fortey, Steve Jones, James Gleick and Neal Stephenson amongst others, this beautiful, lavishly illustrated book tells the story of science and the Royal Society, from 1660 to the present.

Bill Bryson goes to Kenya at the invitation of Care International, the charity dedicated to working with local communities to eradicate poverty around the world. It is a country that shares many serious human and environmental problems with the rest of Africa : refugees, AIDS, drought and grinding poverty. Travelling around the country, Bryson casts his inimitable eye on a continent new to him, and as a result publishes - the diary. (Adapted from verso)

Following the success of A Portrait of England this book focuses on icons that are quintessentially English. Published in association with the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and introduced by their President, Bill Bryson, this beautifully designed tome is a a celebration of our shared rural heritage. Icons of England combines stunning photography and quotes, poetry, reminiscences and celebrity anecdotes. Highlights include: A full introduction from CPRE President Bill Bryson. A share of the book's profits will go to help support CPRE campaigns. • Bill Bryson explains his fascination with Red Telephone boxes • The Iron Bridge, built in the eighteenth century as the first crossing of the Severn Gorge • The life and history of the great oak trees that dominate our countryside • The thatched cottage and it’s unique welcoming charm • The robin red-breast and friends Contributors include: • Michael Palin • David Lodge • Tony Robinson • Richard Mabey • Joan Bakewell • Simon Jenkins

Dieses außergewöhnliche großformatige Reisebuch stellt über 1000 Alternativen zu den bekanntesten Reisezielen in aller Welt vor, die zwar weniger bekannt, jedoch ebenso faszinierend und spannend sind. Wer die Pyramiden von Gizeh beeindruckend findet, dem könnten auch die Pyramiden von Meroe gefallen. Wer gerne einmal die Lebensfreude des südamerikanischen Karnevals erleben möchte, den interessiert sicherlich statt Rio de Janeiro auch der Karneval von Salvador. Und auch in den bekannten Metropolen wie New York oder London lässt sich noch viel Neues entdecken. In neun Kapiteln kann jeder neue Traumziele entdecken, die seinen Interessen entsprechen. Schon beim Durchblättern kann sich der Leser dank der prächtigen Fotos und informativen Texte inspirieren lassen. Praktische Informationen und nützliche Hinweise zu den Reisezielen helfen zudem bei der konkreten Urlaubsplanung.

Die Welt verstehen ohne einen Fuß vor die Tür zu setzen Was bleibt nach der »Geschichte von fast allem« eigentlich noch zu schreiben? Die Geschichte von fast allem anderen, natürlich. Bill Bryson hat sich daher in seinen vier Wänden umgesehen und sich gefragt: Warum leben wir eigentlich, wie wir leben? Warum nutzen wir ausgerechnet Salz und Pfeffer, und weshalb hat unsere Gabel vier Zinken? Aber es bleibt nicht bei Geschichten von Bett, Sofa und Küchenherd. Die Geschichte des Heims ist auch immer eine der großen Entdeckungen und Abenteuer. Ohne die Weltausstellung in London hätte man vermutlich das Wasserklosett nicht so schnell zu schätzen gelernt. Und ohne die großen Entdecker müssten wir wohl ohne Kaffee, Tee oder Kakao auskommen. Bill Bryson zeigt uns unser Heim, wie wir es noch nie gesehen haben. Und wir verstehen ein wenig mehr, warum es so ist, wie es ist. Ausstattung: 19 sw-Abbildungen