Bill Bryson is an acclaimed American author, renowned for his travel, science, and language books that are characterized by a unique blend of humor and insight. Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951 and later settled in the United Kingdom in 1977, where he began his writing career in journalism.
Bryson has spent extensive periods living in both the United States and the United Kingdom, and his writing reflects his experiences and observations of both countries and other continents, including Australia, Europe, and Africa. His bestselling travel books, such as "The Lost Continent," "Notes From a Small Island," "A Walk in the Woods," and "Down Under," have become beloved by readers for their witty and engaging style. In addition to his travel writing, Bryson has also written highly praised books on the English language, including "Mother Tongue" and "Made in America."
In 2003, Bryson returned to the United States, where he resided for a few years with his wife and four children. However, he eventually moved back to the United Kingdom, where he lived in the old-rectory of Wramplingham, Norfolk, and served as the Chancellor of Durham University from 2005 to 2011.
Bryson's work has received numerous accolades, including the World Book Day National Poll, the Aventis Prize for Science Books, and the Descartes Science Communication Prize. His book "A Short History of Nearly Everything" was a massive bestseller and was lauded by critics for its accessible and engaging exploration of scientific concepts. Overall, Bryson's writing has left an indelible mark on the literary world, delighting readers with his unique blend of humor, insight, and intellectual curiosity.
History Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Icons of England
2008
2
At Home: A Short History of Private Life
2010
3
One Summer: America, 1927
2013
Language Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words
1984
2
The Mother Tongue
1990
3
Made in America
1994
4
Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors
2008
Non-Fiction Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Best American Travel Writing 2000
2000
2
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir
2006
3
Shakespeare
2007
4
The Secret History of Christmas
2022
Science Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
A Short History of Nearly Everything
2003
2
A Really Short History of Nearly Everything
2004
3
Seeing Further
2010
4
The Body
2019
Travel Books (with Marina Warner, with Christopher Lloyd, with Jennifer Jenkins, with David Bellamy, with Robin Hanbury-Tenbison, with Anna Parord)
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Palace Under the Alps
1985
2
The Lost Continent
1989
3
Neither Here nor There
1992
4
Notes from a Small Island
1995
5
A Walk in the Woods
1997
6
I'm a Stranger Here Myself / Notes from a Big Country
1998
7
The English Landscape: Its Character and Diversity (With: Marina Warner, Christopher Lloyd, Jennifer Jenkins, David Bellamy, Robin Hanbury-Tenbison, Anna Parord)
2000
8
In a Sunburned Country / Down Under
2000
9
Bill Bryson's African Diary
2002
10
The Road to Little Dribbling
2015
Travel Books (with Christopher Lloyd, with Jennifer Jenkins, with David Bellamy, with Robin Hanbury-Tenbison, with Anna Parord)
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Palace Under the Alps
1985
2
The Lost Continent
1989
3
Neither Here nor There
1992
4
Notes from a Small Island
1995
5
A Walk in the Woods
1997
6
I'm a Stranger Here Myself / Notes from a Big Country
1998
7
The English Landscape: Its Character and Diversity
2000
8
In a Sunburned Country / Down Under
2000
9
Bill Bryson's African Diary
2002
10
The Road to Little Dribbling
2015
Short Story Collections
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Bill Bryson BBC Radio Collection
2023
Eminent Lives Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time (By: Karen Armstrong)
1991
2
Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time
1991
3
Ulysses S. Grant: The Unlikely Hero (By: Michael Korda)
2004
4
Ulysses S. Grant: The Unlikely Hero
2004
5
George Balanchine
2004
6
George Balanchine (By: Robert Gottlieb)
2004
7
Beethoven
2005
8
Beethoven (By: Edmund Morris)
2005
9
Thomas Jefferson
2005
10
Thomas Jefferson ( By: Christopher Hitchens)
2005
11
Caravaggio
2005
12
Caravaggio ( By: Francine Prose)
2005
13
Alexander the Great
2005
14
Alexander the Great (By: Norman F. Cantor)
2005
15
Freud
2006
16
Freud (By: Peter D. Kramer)
2006
17
Francis Crick
2006
18
Francis Crick (By: Matt Ridley)
2006
19
Alexis de Tocqueville
2006
20
Alexis de Tocqueville (By: Joseph Epstein)
2006
21
Shakespeare
2007
22
Machiavelli
2007
23
Machiavelli (By: Ross King)
2007
24
George Washington
2009
25
George Washington (By: Paul Johnson)
2009
Marina Warner Travel Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The English Landscape: Its Character and Diversity
2000
2
The English Landscape: Its Character and Diversity (With: Marina Warner, Christopher Lloyd, Jennifer Jenkins, David Bellamy, Robin Hanbury-Tenbison, Anna Parord)
2000
3
Myth and Landscape
2015
4
Myth and Landscape (By: Marina Warner, Ibrahim al-Koni, David Parker)
2015
The Best American: Travel Writing
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The Best American Travel Writing 2011
2011
2
The Best American Travel Writing 2000
2000
3
The Best American Travel Writing 2011 (By: Sloane Crosley)
2011
4
The Best American Travel Writing 2012
2012
5
The Best American Travel Writing 2013
2013
6
The Best American Travel Writing 2012 (By: Jason Wilson)
2012
7
The Best American Travel Writing 2014
2014
8
The Best American Travel Writing 2013 (By: Jason Wilson)
2013
9
The Best American Travel Writing 2014 (By: Jason Wilson)
2014
10
The Best American Travel Writing 2015
2015
11
The Best American Travel Writing 2015 (By: Jason Wilson)
2015
12
The Best American Travel Writing 2017
2017
13
The Best American Travel Writing 2016
2016
14
The Best American Travel Writing 2017 (By: Jason Wilson, Lauren Collins)
2017
15
The Best American Travel Writing 2018
2018
16
The Best American Travel Writing 2019
2019
17
The Best American Travel Writing 2018 (By: Cheryl Strayed)
2018
18
The Best American Travel Writing 2019 (By: Jason Wilson)
2019
19
The Best American Travel Writing 2020
2020
20
The Best American Travel Writing 2021
2021
21
The Best American Travel Writing 2020 (By: Jason Wilson)
2020
22
The Best American Travel Writing 2021 (By: Padma Lakshmi)