William McGuire Bryson OBE HonFRS (/ˈbraɪsən/; born 8 December 1951) is an American–British journalist and author. Bryson has written several nonfiction books on topics including travel, the English language, and science. Born in the United States, he has been a resident of Britain for most of his adult life, returning to the U.S. between 1995 and 2003, and holds dual American and British citizenship. He served as the chancellor of Durham University from 2005 to 2011.
In 1995, while in the United Kingdom, Bryson authored Notes from a Small Island, an exploration of Britain. In 2003, he authored A Short History of Nearly Everything. In October 2020, he announced that he had retired from writing books. In 2022, he recorded an audiobook for Audible, The Secret History of Christmas. He has sold over 16 million books worldwide.
Books in order of publication:
Bryson has written the following books:
The Penguin Dictionary of Troublesome Words – 1984
The Palace Under the Alps and over 200 Other Unusual, Upspoiled and Infrequently Visited Spots in 16 European Countries – 1985
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America – 1989
The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way – 1990
The Penguin Dictionary for Writers and Editors – 1991
Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe – 1992
Made in America – 1994
Notes from a Small Island – 1996
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail – 1997
Notes from a Big Country – 1999
Down Under – 2000
Bill Bryson’s Africa Diary – 2002
A History of Nearly Everything – 2003
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid – 2006
Shakespeare: The World as Stage – 2007
At Home: A Short History of Private Life – 2010
One Summer: America 1927 – 2013
The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes from a Small Island – 2015
The Body: A Guide for Occupants – 2019
The Secret history of Christmas – 2019
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