Showing results by author "Bill Bryson" in All Categories

Hardly anyone ever leaves Des Moines, Iowa. But Bill Bryson did, and after 10 years in England he decided to go home, to a foreign country. In an ageing Chevrolet Chevette, he drove nearly 14,000 miles through 38 states to compile this hilarious and perceptive state-of-the-nation report on small-town America.

After nearly two decades in Britain, Bill Bryson took the decision to move back to the States for a while but before leaving his much-loved home in North Yorkshire, Bryson insisted on taking one last trip around Britain. 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....

In At Home, Bill Bryson applies the same irrepressible curiosity, irresistible wit, stylish prose and masterful storytelling that made A Short History of Nearly Everything one of the most lauded books of the last decade, and delivers one of the most entertaining and illuminating books ever written about the history of the way we live. Bill Bryson was struck one day by the thought that we devote a lot more time to studying the battles and wars of history than to considering what history really consists of: centuries of people quietly going about their daily business – eating, sleeping and merely endeavouring to get more comfortable.

Bill Bryson's hilarious memoir of growing up in middle America in the Fifties, complete, unabridged and read by the author. Born in 1951 in the middle of the United States, Des Moines, Iowa, Bill Bryson is perfectly positioned to mine his memories of a totally all-American childhood for 24 carat memoir gold.

O istorie ingenioasa si antrenanta a universului, Pamintului, vietii si omului, o poveste care merge de la Big Bang, cind nu eram nimic, pina la aparitia civilizatiei si la noi, cei de astazi. Bill Bryson pleaca de la propria experienta de elev care, intrigat de o imagine a Pamintului in sectiune, citeste manualul de stiinte ca sa gaseasca aici un amestec de lucruri de neinteles – mai putin raspunsurile la ceea ce ii stirnise curiozitatea, inclusiv cum si de unde stim toate aceste lucruri.

Ever wondered how we got from nothing to something? Or thought about how we can weigh the earth? Or wanted to reach the edge of the universe? Uncover the mysteries of time, space and life on earth in this extraordinary book - a journey from the centre of the planet to the dawn of the dinosaurs and everything in between. And discover our own incredible journey, from single cell to civilisation, including the brilliant (and sometimes very bizarre) scientists who helped us find out the how and why.

Sobre la figura de Shakespeare se sabe muy poco y se ha especulado mucho, probablemente demasiado. Con su habitual sabiduría, ironía y buen gusto, Bill Bryson prefiere explicarnos los hechos probados de la vida y la época de Shakespeare, y desmonta muchos de los mitos que lo rodean. Gracias a ello, este audiolibro es quizás la mejor manera de introducirse en el universo del genial dramaturgo inglés.

El sendero de los Apalaches es una de las rutas a pie más largas del mundo, que serpentea por casi toda la Costa Este estadounidense. Sin apenas experiencia como excursionista, Bill Bryson decidió recorrer ese camino. Tenía muchas razones para emprender aquel reto: ponerse en forma, conocer mejor su país, adentrarse en un entorno natural único...

This highly entertaining BBC Radio 4 series is written and presented by Bill Bryson and based on his best-selling book, Mother Tongue. In it, he romps through the history of Britain to reveal how English became such an infuriatingly complex - but ultimately world-beating - language.

El verano de 1927 estuvo lleno de hazañas legendarias, villanos, inventos revolucionarios, catástrofes y decisiones trascendentales: Charles Lindbergh cruzó el Atlántico en avión por primera vez, Al Capone llegó al momento álgido de su poder, nacieron la televisión y el cine sonoro, el Misisipi causó la mayor inundación de la historia estadounidense y la Reserva Federal cometió el error que precipitaría la Gran Depresión.

Shakespeare's life, despite the scrutiny of generations of biographers and scholars, is still a thicket of myths and traditions, some preposterous, some conflicting, arranged around the few scant facts known about the Bard: from his birth in Stratford to the bequest of his second best bed to his wife when he died.

Adapted from Mother Tongue this book by Bill Bryson tells the story of English, from the first words ever spoken to the very first dictionaries. In this epic journey through words, rhymes - and even a few jokes - Bill Bryson will teach you how the English language came to be (clue: lots of invasions) and what makes it a rich and beautiful thing (lots of Shakespeare).

Ayant découvert que ce qui s'était passé dans le monde depuis deux siècles s'était retrouvé sous forme d'objets et de rituels quotidiens dans notre intérieur, le plus drôle des écrivains voyageurs américains fait le tour de sa maison pour nous raconter cette grande aventure du génie humain - de l'invention de la tapette à souris à la conception de la tour Eiffel, de la saga des acariens à celle des milliardaires. Une histoire de l'envers du décor.

Es ist die Geschichte eines Sommers, und doch ist es so viel mehr. Das Jahr 1927 ist für Amerika entscheidend auf dem Weg zur Weltmacht. Es sind die goldenen Zwanziger: Der Aktienmarkt boomt, das Fernsehen wird erfunden, die Filme sind nicht mehr stumm, und verrückte Pläne entstehen, wie der, vier Köpfe in den völlig unzugänglichen Mount Rushmore zu meißeln. Es ist die Zeit, in der ein junger Flieger namens Charles Lindbergh Ruhm und Ehre erlangt, aber auch die des Al Capone und des größten Schulmassakers aller Zeiten.

Australia es el sexto país más grande del mundo y la isla más extensa. Isla, país, continente. Seco, árido, yermo y climáticamente agresivo. Un país donde el gusano más peludo mata con su venenoso pinchazo, donde las conchas marinas no sólo pican sino que se persiguen, donde un tiburón puede zamparte o unas irresistibles aguas arrastrarte mar adentro.

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.

La nostra vita, ci ricorda Bill Bryson, è il risultato di "una straordinaria dose di fortuna biologica", l'esito di una serie lunghissima di eventi, per molti versi assolutamente misteriosi. Questo libro prova a spiegare come un tale colpo di fortuna si sia potuto verificare.

Von der Haarwurzel bis zu den Zehen beschreibt Bill Bryson hier die grandiose Geschichte des menschlichen Körpers. Das ganze Leben verbringen wir in unserem Körper, doch die wenigsten haben eine Ahnung davon, wie er funktioniert, welche erstaunlichen Selbstheilungskräfte darin wirken und was tief im Inneren abläuft - manchmal auch schiefläuft. Spannende Fakten und erstaunliche Geschichten über die prächtigen Wunder unserer körperlichen und neurologischen Grundausstattung.

Rendu célèbre par ses récits de voyage et son humour, l'Américain Bill Bryson entreprend dans ce nouveau livre audio le plus extraordinaire des périples : surpris d'apprendre qu'on pourrait acheter tous les composants chimiques de notre organisme pour cinq dollars dans une quincaillerie, il décide d'explorer le corps humain et d'en percer les secrets.

At the age of 38, Danish scientist Rikke Schmidt Kjærgaard is struck down by an acute bout of bacterial meningitis. Weeks later, she wakes from a coma in intensive care to find herself “locked in,” unable to show she is conscious except by blinking her eyes. Despite a mere 5 percent chance of survival, she makes a miraculous recovery and returns to the world - painfully learning how to breathe, move, eat, and speak again, even resume her work as a scientist.