Notes from a Small Island

Notes from a Small Island is a humorous travel book by American author Bill Bryson, first published in 1995. Notes from a Small Island was written when the author had decided to move back to his native United States but wanted to take one final trip around Great Britain, which had been his home for over twenty years. Bryson covers all corners of the island observing and talking to people from as far afield as Exeter in the southwest of England to... more

Notes from a Small Island is a humorous travel book by American author Bill Bryson, first published in 1995. Notes from a Small Island was written when the author had decided to move back to his native United States but wanted to take one final trip around Great Britain, which had been his home for over twenty years. Bryson covers all corners of the island observing and talking to people from as far afield as Exeter in the southwest of England to John O'Groats at the north-eastern tip of Scotland. During this trip the writer attempts to use only public transport, with two exceptions; he hires a car near Oxfordshire and on the journey to John O' Groats as there were no buses at that time of year. In the book, Bryson provides historical information on the places he visits, and expresses amazement at the heritage in Britain, stating that there are (or were at the time of writing) 445,000 listed historical buildings, 12,000 medieval churches, 1,500,000 acres (600,000 ha) of common land,... less