The Road to Little Dribbling

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A copy of this book on CD is available at Sherman Public Library

914.104 BRY

A copy of the print book is also available at Denison and Sherman Libraries:

914.104 BRYSON

The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson has an extensive bibliography, much of which can be categorized as travel literature. He has toured England twice (Notes from a Small Island and this book). He has also done a tour of the United States (The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America), a trip across Australia via the country's transcontinental railroad (Down Under), and a trip across Europe (Neither Here Nor There). 

In addition Bryson has also written two volumes on word origins; The Mother Tongue, devoted to English and Made in America, which tells of the origin of specifically American words in the English language. Both of of those are entertaining not just because of the discussion of word origins but because each one is peppered with a lot of history, and not the boring kind of history you remember from your High School teacher.

The Road to Little Dribbling came as a result of a conversation that Bryson had with his publisher who suggested to Bryson that he write a sequel to Notes from a Small Island. Both Notes from a Small Island and The Road to Little Dribbling, as I said, deal with Bryson touring his adopted country of England.

Some background to Bryson may be instructive. Bryson was born in Iowa and travelled to England in his early 20's, but ended up staying and marrying and English girl. Some of the vignettes Bryson tells during his travels often carry some anecdotes about life as a kid in America as well as his life experiences while living in England.

In all of his travel literature books Bryson has an engaging voice of the ups and downs of travel, and his occasional consternation at what he perceives as ineptitude when dealing with some people he encounters. It's kind of like listening to your crotchety old uncle talk about his trip to California via some indirect route through small towns on the way.

Having heard Bryson himself read an audiobook once, I have to admit that the audiobook reader on this volume, Nathan Osgood, is a much better speaker. But if you prefer reading print, there is always the option of just going with the book.  

Unfortunately, if you find this volume intriguing, none of the BARR Libraries has any of the other travel literature volumes listed in the first paragraph above. But I have read almost all of his stuff, so you can't go wrong with some of the volumes that are available.

Until next time, happy browsing.

Quiggy

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