Notes From A Small Island

  • Author Bill Bryson
  • Narrator Bill Bryson
  • Publisher Transworld
  • Run Time 5 hours and 39 minutes
  • Format Audio
  • Genre Travel writing.
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In 1995, before leaving his much-loved home in North Yorkshire to move back to the States for a few years with his family, Bill 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 had 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 'Ooh lovely' at the sight of a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits; and Gardeners' Question Time. Notes from a Small Island was a huge number-one bestseller when it was first published, and has become the nation's most loved book about Britain, going on to sell over two million copies.


© Bill Bryson 1995 (P) Penguin Audio 2010

Critics Review

  • Not a book that should be read in public, for fear of emitting loud snorts

    The Times

  • Laugh-out-loud funny

    The Good Book Guide

  • Splendid… What’s enjoyable is that there’s as much of Bryson in here as there is of Britain

    Sunday Telegraph

  • Bryson is funny because he is not afraid to give completely of himself

    Daily Express

  • Astute and funny…a tribute to [Britain’s] enchantments by an unabashed anglophile.

    New York Times

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