Notes from a Small Island

£8.99

Having lived in the UK for nearly two decades and about to return to America, Bill Bryson finally does Britain, in a farewell tour. He takes an unstructured route around the country, travelling here and there as and when he wants, but by the end of the trip he has covered most of the country and made fun of many of the Britons’ mannerisms, such as the irrational excitement at the prospect of tea and cake.

Bryson continues to provide hilarious moments and detailed, if odd, research - such as Blackpool’s population getting through 40 acres of potatoes every day. But really Bryson is most enamoured with Britain’s history, its wilderness and eccentricities, much more than modern British life, so it’s interesting to note that his return to the US was not to Iowa but New Hampshire.