Bill Bryson

American-British · b. 1951

Bill Bryson (born December 8, 1951) is an American-British author known for blending travel writing, science, and humor across more than twenty books. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Bryson settled in Britain for most of his adult life and holds dual US and UK citizenship. His breakthrough travelogues, including The Lost Continent and Notes from a Small Island, established his signature style: dense research delivered with self-deprecating wit. That approach carried into his science writing, most notably A Short History of Nearly Everything, which won multiple awards for making complex scientific ideas accessible to general readers, and later into The Body: A Guide for Occupants. Bryson served as Chancellor of Durham University from 2005 to 2011 and was made an honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his contribution to literature. He announced his retirement from writing books in 2020.

Notable works: A Short History of Nearly Everything; A Walk in the Woods; Notes from a Small Island; The Body