Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson (born
1951) is an
author of humorous books on
travel as well as no less humorous, though heavily-criticized books on the
English language. Born in
Des Moines, Iowa, He was educated at Drake University but dropped out in August
1973 while on holiday in
England and began working in a mental asylum. Here he met his English wife, who was a nurse in the asylum, and they settled in England in
1977, remaining there through most of the
1980s. Living in North
Yorkshire and mainly working as a
journalist, he eventually became chief copy editor of the business section of
The Times and then deputy national news editor of the business section of
The Independent. He left
journalism in 1987. He has returned to the
United States and lives in
Hanover, New Hampshire.
In 2003, in conjunction with World Book Day, voters in England chose Bryson's book Notes From a Small Island as the book that best sums up England's identity and the state of the nation.
Bryson has written two works on the history of the English language, Mother Tongue and Made In America. However, these books have been criticized for their abundance of factual errors, urban myths, and folk etymologies. While Bryson is passionate about languages, he holds no degree in linguistics.
Books on language
Books on science
External links