Bryson wrote
Notes from a Small Island when he decided to move back to his native
United States, but wanted to take one final trip around
Great Britain, which had been his home for over twenty years. Bryson covers all corners of the island observing and talking to people from as far afield as
Exeter in the
West Country to
John O'Groats at the north-eastern tip of
Scotland's mainland. During this trip he insisted on using only public transport, but failed on two occasions: in
Oxfordshire and on the journey to
John O' Groats he had to rent a car.
On his way, Bryson provides historical information on the places he visits, and expresses amazement at the heritage in
Britain, stating that there were 445,
000 listed historical buildings, 12,000 medieval churches, 1,
500,000 acres (600,000 ha) of common land,
120,000 miles (190,000 km) of footpaths and public rights-of-way, 600,000 known sites of archaeological interest and that in his
Yorkshire village at that time, there were more
17th-century buildings than in the whole of
North America.
Bryson also pays homage to the humble self-effacing fortitude of
British people under trying times such as the
World Wars and
Great Depression, as well as the various peculiarities of
Britain and
British English (such as not understanding, on his first arrival, what a counterpane was, and assuming it was something to do with a window, or of first going into an
English tobacconist's and hearing the man in front of him ask for "Twenty
Number 6", and assuming that everything in Britain was ordered by number. A popular brand at the time was
Embassy Regal Number 1, and in British English it is usual to ask for twenty (cigarettes) meaning a packet, not twenty of them.)
In an opinion poll organized for
World Book Day in
2003, Notes from a Small Island was voted by
BBC Radio 4 listeners as the book which best represented Britain.[1]
The book was adapted for
Carlton Television in
1998 and appeared as a six-part 30-minute documentary broadcast on
ITV from January to
February 1999. The book is available in an audio book format as well.
Heavily abridged, the book was read in five fifteen-minute episodes by
Kerry Shale for BBC Radio 4. It has been repeated on
BBC Radio 7 several times.
Bryson praises the
City of Durham in the book. He later became
Chancellor of Durham University from 2005-2011.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notes_from_a_Small_Island
William McGuire "Bill" Bryson, OBE,
FRS (/ˈbraɪsən/; born
December 8, 1951) is a best-selling
American author of humorous books on travel, as well as books on the
English language and science.
Born in the United States, he was a resident of Britain for most of his adult life before returning to the
U.S. in
1995. In 2003 Bryson moved back to Britain, living in the old rectory of
Wramplingham, Norfolk, and served as chancellor of
Durham University from
2005 through
2011.
Bryson shot to prominence in the
United Kingdom with the publication of Notes from a Small Island (1995), an exploration of Britain, and its accompanying television series. He received widespread recognition again with the publication of A
Short History of
Nearly Everything (2003), a book widely acclaimed for its accessible communication of science.
In 1995 Bryson returned to the United States to live in
Hanover, New Hampshire, for some years. While there he wrote a column for a
British newspaper for several years, reflecting on humorous aspects of his repatriation in the United States. These columns were selected and adapted to become his book
I’m a Stranger Here
Myself, alternatively titled
Notes from a Big Country in Britain,
Canada, and
Australia. During his time in the United States, Bryson decided to walk the
Appalachian Trail with his friend
Stephen Katz (a pseudonym), about which he wrote the book
A Walk in the Woods. In 2003 the Brysons and their four children returned to Britain and now live in
Norfolk.
Also in 2003, in conjunction with World Book Day, British voters chose Bryson’s book Notes from a Small Island as that which best sums up British identity and the state of the nation.[3] In the same year, he was appointed a
Commissioner for
English Heritage.
In 2004 Bryson won the prestigious
Aventis Prize for best general science book with A Short History of Nearly Everything.[4] This 500-page popular science work explores not only the histories and current statuses of the sciences, but also reveals their humble and often humorous beginnings. Although one "top scientist" is alleged to have jokingly described the book as "annoyingly free of mistakes",[5] Bryson himself makes no such claim and a list of some reported errors in the book is available online. In 2005, the book won the EU
Descartes Prize for science communication.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Bryson
- published: 02 Oct 2014
- views: 19080