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The Bill Bryson BBC Radio Collection
- Divided by a Common Language, Journeys in English and More
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
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The Bill Bryson BBC Radio Collection
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The Secret History of Christmas
- Written by: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 3 hrs and 3 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 23
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19
Christmas is the single biggest annual event on the planet, a time for merry-making, over-indulgence, peace, goodwill, and the occasional family row. It’s as comfortable and familiar as a pair of old shoes and yet still glittery and exciting. But what do you really know about it? It’s stuffed full of traditions and rituals that most of us have been observing all our lives without having the slightest idea of where they come from.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Pretty good - Short and Sweet
- By RICHARD E on 2022-11-29
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The Road to Little Dribbling
- Adventures of an American in Britain
- Written by: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Nathan Osgood
- Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 32
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32
Twenty years ago, Bill Bryson went on a trip around Britain to discover and celebrate that green and pleasant land. The result was Notes from a Small Island, a true classic and one of the bestselling travel books ever written. Now he has traveled about Britain again, by bus and train and rental car and on foot, to see what has changed—and what hasn’t.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Not His best work
- By Don on 2020-05-17
Written by: Bill Bryson
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At Home
- A Short History of Private Life
- Written by: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 162
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 140
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 140
Bill Bryson and his family live in a Victorian parsonage in a part of England where nothing of any great significance has happened since the Romans decamped. Yet one day, he began to consider how very little he knew about the ordinary things of life as he found it in that comfortable home. To remedy this, he formed the idea of journeying about his house from room to room to “write a history of the world without leaving home.”
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4 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting, I learned a lot
- By Karen on 2018-02-25
Written by: Bill Bryson
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Shakespeare
- The World as Stage
- Written by: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 31
William Shakespeare, the most celebrated poet in the English language, left behind nearly a million words of text, but his biography has long been a thicket of wild supposition arranged around scant facts. With a steady hand and his trademark wit, Bill Bryson sorts through this colorful muddle to reveal the man himself.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful
- By PDubya on 2021-05-16
Written by: Bill Bryson
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The Body
- A Guide for Occupants
- Written by: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 561
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 470
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 466
Bill Bryson once again proves himself to be an incomparable companion as he guides us through the human body - how it functions, its remarkable ability to heal itself, and (unfortunately) the ways it can fail. Full of extraordinary facts (your body made a million red blood cells since you started reading this) and irresistible Bryson-esque anecdotes, The Body will lead you to a deeper understanding of the miracle that is life in general and you in particular. As Bill Bryson writes, "We pass our existence within this wobble of flesh and yet take it almost entirely for granted."
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Required reading for the self-aware
- By Dr. Gordon K. McIvor on 2020-02-04
Written by: Bill Bryson
-
Made in America
- Written by: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: William Roberts
- Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 21
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 21
In Made in America, Bryson de-mythologizes his native land, explaining how a dusty hamlet with neither woods nor holly became Hollywood, how the Wild West wasn't won, why Americans say 'lootenant' and 'Toosday', how Americans were eating junk food long before the word itself was cooked up, as well as exposing the true origins of the G-string, the original $64,000 question, and Dr Kellogg of cornflakes fame.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved it.
- By Amazon Customer on 2019-06-28
Written by: Bill Bryson
-
The Secret History of Christmas
- Written by: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 3 hrs and 3 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19
Christmas is the single biggest annual event on the planet, a time for merry-making, over-indulgence, peace, goodwill, and the occasional family row. It’s as comfortable and familiar as a pair of old shoes and yet still glittery and exciting. But what do you really know about it? It’s stuffed full of traditions and rituals that most of us have been observing all our lives without having the slightest idea of where they come from.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Pretty good - Short and Sweet
- By RICHARD E on 2022-11-29
Written by: Bill Bryson
-
The Road to Little Dribbling
- Adventures of an American in Britain
- Written by: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Nathan Osgood
- Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32
Twenty years ago, Bill Bryson went on a trip around Britain to discover and celebrate that green and pleasant land. The result was Notes from a Small Island, a true classic and one of the bestselling travel books ever written. Now he has traveled about Britain again, by bus and train and rental car and on foot, to see what has changed—and what hasn’t.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Not His best work
- By Don on 2020-05-17
Written by: Bill Bryson
-
At Home
- A Short History of Private Life
- Written by: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 162
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 140
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 140
Bill Bryson and his family live in a Victorian parsonage in a part of England where nothing of any great significance has happened since the Romans decamped. Yet one day, he began to consider how very little he knew about the ordinary things of life as he found it in that comfortable home. To remedy this, he formed the idea of journeying about his house from room to room to “write a history of the world without leaving home.”
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting, I learned a lot
- By Karen on 2018-02-25
Written by: Bill Bryson
-
Shakespeare
- The World as Stage
- Written by: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 31
William Shakespeare, the most celebrated poet in the English language, left behind nearly a million words of text, but his biography has long been a thicket of wild supposition arranged around scant facts. With a steady hand and his trademark wit, Bill Bryson sorts through this colorful muddle to reveal the man himself.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderful
- By PDubya on 2021-05-16
Written by: Bill Bryson
-
The Body
- A Guide for Occupants
- Written by: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 561
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 470
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 466
Bill Bryson once again proves himself to be an incomparable companion as he guides us through the human body - how it functions, its remarkable ability to heal itself, and (unfortunately) the ways it can fail. Full of extraordinary facts (your body made a million red blood cells since you started reading this) and irresistible Bryson-esque anecdotes, The Body will lead you to a deeper understanding of the miracle that is life in general and you in particular. As Bill Bryson writes, "We pass our existence within this wobble of flesh and yet take it almost entirely for granted."
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Required reading for the self-aware
- By Dr. Gordon K. McIvor on 2020-02-04
Written by: Bill Bryson
-
Made in America
- Written by: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: William Roberts
- Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 21
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 21
In Made in America, Bryson de-mythologizes his native land, explaining how a dusty hamlet with neither woods nor holly became Hollywood, how the Wild West wasn't won, why Americans say 'lootenant' and 'Toosday', how Americans were eating junk food long before the word itself was cooked up, as well as exposing the true origins of the G-string, the original $64,000 question, and Dr Kellogg of cornflakes fame.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved it.
- By Amazon Customer on 2019-06-28
Written by: Bill Bryson
Publisher's Summary
An anthology of BBC Radio documentaries featuring the bestselling author
Bill Bryson is the world's funniest travel writer, and a master of comic observation. His hugely popular books, spanning topics from linguistics to Shakespeare to the human body, have sold over 16 million copies and been translated into 30 languages, and his 2003 science book A Short History of Nearly Everything won the prestigious Aventis and Descartes prizes.
This sparkling collection features seven BBC Radio programmes that collectively illuminate his personal passions. In The Art of Travel, he talks to Annette Kobak about his memorable journeys around the USA; while in the 6-part series Divided by a Common Language, he scours American history in an attempt to find out why Americans talk and behave differently from British people. Journeys in English, based on his acclaimed book Mother Tongue, sees him romping through the history of Britain in six episodes, to reveal how English became the complex yet world-beating language it is today.
Ramblings: Windsor Great Park finds Bill heading out across the royal park in the company of Clare Balding, as he discusses his love for walking and exploring. As a castaway on Desert Island Discs, he shares the soundtrack of his life with Sue Lawley; and in With Great Pleasure, he selects some of his favourite writing, including Evelyn Waugh's Scoop, a Hardy Boys classic and Three Men in a Boat. Finally, in Bookclub, he chats to James Naughtie and an audience of readers about A Short History of Nearly Everything.
Contents
The Art of Travel: Bill Bryson
Divided by a Common Language
Journeys in English
Ramblings: Windsor Great Park with Bill Bryson
Desert Island Discs: Bill Bryson
With Great Pleasure: Bill Bryson
Bookclub: Bill Bryson
Production credits
The Art of Travel: Bill Bryson
Presented by Annette Kobak
Produced by Kate McAII
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27 January 1991
Divided by a Common Language
Presented by Bill Bryson
Produced by Brian King
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 July-2 September 1995
Journeys in English
Written and presented by Bill Bryson
Produced by Brian King
First broadcast as Mother Tongue on BBC Radio 4, 13 December 1997-17 January 1998
Ramblings: Windsor Great Park with Bill Bryson
Presented by Clare Balding
Produced by Lucy Lunt
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 24 September 2015
Desert Island Discs: Bill Bryson
Presented by Sue Lawley
Produced by Angie Nehring
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31 January 1999
With Great Pleasure: Bill Bryson
Readers: Kerry Shale and Bill Wallis
Produced by Mary Ward-Lowery
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 September 1999
Bookclub: Bill Bryson
Presented by James Naughtie
Produced by Dymphna Flynn
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6 February 2005
What the critics say
"There's no writer like him." (The Guardian)