42 Bill Bryson Facts: American–British Author, Must Read This!

Did you know that once Bill Bryson became the president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England?

William McGuire Bryson is one of the best-selling authors in the non-fiction genre. He is known to have written some of the best travel and academic books in a humorous manner that is liked by all.

Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa on December 8, 1951. Over the years, he managed to earn various awards for his science communication skills.

His most notable awards include the James Joyce Award by the Literary and Historical Society of University College Dublin. Bill Bryson was also made an Honorary Officer of the order of the British Empire in 2006.

After reading about the honors Bryson received and some of the best books Bill Bryson published, also check William Turner artist facts and William Wordsworth facts.

Bill Bryson Book List

Bill Bryson has written many amazing books in his writing career. He is most well-known for writing books on the English language, science, and travel. Here is his book list. Pick one and start reading!

‘The Penguin Dictionary of Troublesome’ was published on April 26, 1984. It was republished as ‘Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words.’

‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’ was published on May 6, 2003, and was adapted in 2009. This book explores not only the histories of science but also their humorous beginnings.

Bill Bryson also authored ‘The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: Travels through my Childhood’ which was published in 2006.

A history-related book ‘At Home - A Short History of Private Life’, was published in the year 2010.

Some other notable books are ‘The Penguin Dictionary for Writers and Editors’, ‘The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America’, ‘Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe’, ‘Bill Bryson's African Diary’, and ‘One Summer: America, 1927’.

He published ‘Made in America’ (UK) / ‘Made in America: An Informal History of the English’ in the United States (US) in the year 1994. Another one of his works ‘Notes from a Small Island’ was published in 1996 and was adapted for television by Carlton Television in 1998.

He was awarded honorary Doctor of Civil Law by Durham University in 2004 and an Honorary Doctorate by the Bournemouth University in 2005.

Bill Bryson Net Worth Facts

The estimated net worth of this brilliant American author is around $10 million.

In the United Kingdom, Bryson speaking at an event or merely attending the event is enough to generate great interest amongst the general populace. Bryson lived for almost twenty years in the UK and spent many years of his adult life there.

Bill Bryson from 2005-2011 was appointed as the chancellor of Durham University due to his excellent credentials. He is known for writing books on science, the English language, and travel.

Did you know Bill Bryson first arrived in Europe in the year 1972? He then took a sabbatical from college and backpacked around Europe for a period of around four months. The next year, he got his high school friend Stephen Katz to join him on the adventures.

Bill Bryson Home Related Facts

In his book named ‘Home: A Short History of Private Life,’ Bill Bryson talks about many interesting facts that are seldom known.

In the book, he mentions a village from the Stone Age era in Scotland that had dressers, storage shelves, and plumbing that had been built in. He also talks about why it is only salt and pepper that became must-haves in a household kitchen.

The book talks about varied subjects right from dendrochronology to architectural history that supposedly doesn’t have anything to do with home life. The book contains so many intriguing facts that there won’t ever be a problem of being tongue-tied at a party.

Some other interesting things he tells us about is the origin of ‘drawing rooms’ which apparently has nothing to do with an area meant for drawing something or relaxing but comes from the word ‘withdrawing.’

So essentially a room where you can withdraw yourself and have some me-time. Doors were shorter in the past not because people were short but only because windows and doors were expensive so people did it as a way to save money.

Bryson, after spending much of his adult life in Britain returned to the United States from 1995 and 2003. He has both British citizenship and American citizenship.

Raised in Iowa, the US in Bryson’s hometown Des Moines by his father Bill Bryson Sr., and his mother Agnes Mary Bryson. Bill Bryson was a bright child. Bryson's writings reflect his intelligence and his passion for writing books.

Bryson recounted his humorous childhood days in Des Moines in the book named 'The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid' published in 2006. His father was a sports journalist and worked with Des Moines Register for 50 years.

His mother has Irish ancestry and was the home furnishing editor at the same newspaper publication. Bill Bryson had a brother named Michael who was older than him and a sister named Mary Jane Elizabeth.

Bryson attended Drake University in the US but he dropped out after just two years and interestingly went backpacking in Europe for many months. He then returned with Matt Angerer whose pseudonym is Stephen Katz to Europe and wrote a humorous account of his experiences from his backpacking trip in the book, 'Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe'.

His book 'Small Island' talks about the time he spent in Britain.

For his exemplary work in literature, many universities awarded Bryson with honorary doctorates. Bryson won the Aventis Prize for his book, ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’ and was awarded the Golden Eagle Award also.

Bryson was in his 40s when he attempted to walk the Appalachian Trail but he did not finish walking it. Bryson interviewed the British prime minister Tony Blair. Bryson was made an honorary fellow of the Royal Society and was also elected as an honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Bill Bryson facts then why not take a look at Benjamin Britten facts, or Benjamin Harrison facts.