Notes From A Small Island
Bill Bryson's narrative of his travels on a "small island" will probably not be found in British chambers of commerce or travel agencies, for it is not a favorable advertisement. It is instead a Midwest American's humorous account of disappointment and frustration as he tries to discover the beauty of Britain.
Bryson makes his way through the British countryside, towns and cities by way of bus, train, or on foot. He has a continual problem finding good places to eat during the day or to lodge at night. He quickly learned, "The trick to successful walking...is knowing when to stop." At least once, he stopped too late and had to find a comfortable park bench to sleep on.
He quickly became fascinated with British nomenclature. "No where" he admitted, "are the British more gifted than with place names." He classified as "endearingly insane" towns such as Chew Magna, Prittlewell, Little Rollright, Titsey, Woodstock Slop, and Nether Wallop. But often, it was the intriguing name of a town which inspired him to visit there.
Another thing that bothered Bryson was that too many British buildings offended the local landscape. He often found historical edifices being replaced by parking lots. He lamented, "You can't tear down fine old structures and then pretend they are still there." And Liverpool, which he was exceedingly fond of, seemed to him a "...place with more past than future." Then, near the end of his trip, he audaciously names off "...the buildings I would love to blow up in Britain..."
Most of Bryson's humor comes alive when he is disturbed by what he finds, or doesn't find, or when he is mislead by travel maps and time schedules. But he does have some favorite places, such as Ludlow, Manchester, Morecambe, Inverness, Thurso, and Glasgow. Above all, he enjoyed his travel because, "...you're seldom really alone out of doors in England."
Notes From A Small Island, complete with an amusing glossary at the end, was published in 1995. Bryson's seventh book, A Walk In The Woods, is a humorous account of his attempted walk on the Appalachian Trial.