2,50 €
by Bill Bryson
Bryson, who could make a pile of dirt compelling – and yes, Australia is mostly dirt – finds no shortage of curiosities. When he isn’t dodging Portuguese men-of-war or considering the virtues of the remarkable platypus, he visits southwest Gippsland, home of the world’s largest earthworms (up to 12 feet in length).
1 in stock
Bill Bryson follows his Appalachian amble, A Walk in the Woods, with the story of his exploits in Australia, where A-bombs go off unnoticed, prime ministers disappear into the surf, and cheery citizens coexist with the world’s deadliest creatures: toxic caterpillars, aggressive seashells, crocodiles, sharks, snakes, and the deadliest of them all, the dreaded box jellyfish. And that’s just the beginning, as Bryson treks through sunbaked deserts and up endless coastlines, crisscrossing the “under-discovered” Down Under in search of all things interesting.
Bryson, who could make a pile of dirt compelling – and yes, Australia is mostly dirt – finds no shortage of curiosities. When he isn’t dodging Portuguese men-of-war or considering the virtues of the remarkable platypus, he visits southwest Gippsland, home of the world’s largest earthworms (up to 12 feet in length). He discovers that Australia, which began nationhood as a prison, contains the longest straight stretch of railroad track in the world (297 miles), as well as the world’s largest monolith (the majestic Uluru) and largest living thing (the Great Barrier Reef). He finds ridiculous place names: “Mullumbimby Ewylamartup, Jiggalong, and the supremely satisfying Tittybong,” and manages to catch a cricket game on the radio, which is like listening to two men sitting in a rowboat on a large, placid lake on a day when the fish aren’t biting; it’s like having a nap without losing consciousness. It actually helps not to know quite what’s going on. In such a rarefied world of contentment and inactivity, comprehension would become a distraction.
| Book Condition | Used – Like New |
|---|---|
| Cover | Paperback |
| Size | 398 pages, 130x200x26mm |
| Published | 2001 by Black Swan (first published 2000) |
| Genre | Nonfiction, Humor, Memoir, Travel |
-50% Off
by John Steinbeck
First published in 1945, Cannery Row focuses on the acceptance of life as it is—both the exuberance of community and the loneliness of the individual. John Steinbeck draws on his memories of the real inhabitants of Monterey, California, and interweaves their stories in this world where only the fittest survive—creating what is at once one of his most humorous and poignant works.
-50% Off
by Ken Kesey
The magnificent second novel from the legendary author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest…
-50% Off
by Maria Semple
A misanthropic matriarch leaves her eccentric family in crisis when she mysteriously disappears in this whip-smart and “divinely funny” novel that inspired the movie starring Cate Blanchett (New York Times).
-50% Off
by Giles Kristian
The first book in a thrilling Viking trilogy that launched the career of acclaimed historical novelist Giles Kristian – who’s now confronting the tumult and devastation of the English Civil War in The Bleeding Land…
by John Steinbeck
As Nobel Prize winner Steinbeck chronicles their deeds—their multiple lovers, their wonderful brawls, their Rabelaisian wine-drinking—he spins a tale as compelling and ultimately as touched by sorrow as the famous legends of the Round Table, which inspired him.
-50% Off
Paula Spencer #1
by Roddy Doyle
From the Booker Prize winning author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha and The Commitments: the story of an ordinary woman whose extraordinary character will stay with you long after reading.
-20% Off
by Leandra Medine
The bold voice behind the popular Man Repeller blog shares humorous and deeply personal essays demonstrating that what we choose to wear may hold our dearest memories.
by Stephen White
What if you could choose when to die?
But once you decide, you can’t change your mind.
Ever.
No matter what.
1 in stock