- guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 22 July 2008 15.39 BST
1951-
"I don't have any ambition to make great literature. I'll do anything to keep my kids in Reeboks."
Birthplace
Des Moines, Iowa, US ("Someone had to.")
Education
Drake University - but while on holiday in England he dropped out and took a job in a mental asylum.
Other jobs
Newspaper sub-editor, freelance journalist
Did you know?
Hiking on the Appalachian trail left him with a(n) (ir)rational fear of bears.
Critical verdict
The kind of books - and author - that are impossible to dislike, though the gag-levels fell off slightly in A Walk in the Woods. With the scientific compendium A Short History of Nearly Everything his aims are becoming more serious.
Recommended works
Notes From a Small Island is classic, fresh-faced Bryson.
Influences
Paul Theroux (though Bryson finds him "too grumpy")
Now read on
For similar tone, try Bryson's own jokey and accessible books on linguistics; Small Country-lovers should go for Theroux's Kingdom by the Sea.
Adaptations
Notes From A Small Island has been adapted for TV (Carlton).
Useful links and work online
Background
· Bryson on A Walk In The Woods
