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Amazon Best Books of the Month, October 2010: Bill Bryson (A Short History of Nearly Everything) turns his attention from science to society in his authoritative history of domesticity, At Home: A Short History of Private Life. While walking through his own home, a former Church of England rectory built in the 19th century, Bryson reconstructs the fascinating history of the household, room by room. With waggish humor and a knack for unearthing the extraordinary stories behind the seemingly commonplace, he examines how everyday items--things like ice, cookbooks, glass windows, and salt and pepper--transformed the way people lived, and how houses evolved around these new commodities. "Houses are really quite odd things," Bryson writes, and, luckily for us, he is a writer who thrives on oddities. He gracefully draws connections between an eclectic array of events that have affected home life, covering everything from the relationship between cholera outbreaks and modern landscaping, to toxic makeup, highly flammable hoopskirts, and other unexpected hazards of fashion. Fans of Bryson's travel writing will find plenty to love here; his keen eye for detail and delightfully wry wit emerge in the most unlikely places, making At Home an engrossing journey through history, without ever leaving the house. --Lynette Mong
BILL BRYSON's books include A Walk in the Woods, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, In a Sunburned Country, Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words, A Short History of Nearly Everything, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid and Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors. Bryson lives in England with his wife and children.
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Seller: Sarah Zaluckyj, KINGTON, United Kingdom
Audio Book (CD). Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Case Very Good ++/Fine. Abridged. 5 audio CDs. ABRIDGED ON 5 DISCS. Unplayed. Near fine standard plastic case with hairline crack to back near bottom. Five fine condition audio CDs. Running time about 6 hours and read by Bill Bryson, the author. Seller Inventory # 722647
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Rons Bookshop (Canberra, Australia), Canberra, ACT, Australia
Audio Book (CD). Condition: Near Fine. When Bill Bryson was reminiscing one day, he discovered that, although there may seem to be nothing as unremarkable as our domestic life, there is a huge amount of history, interest and excitement -- and even a little danger -- lurking in the corners of every home. Approx. 6 Hours on 5 CDs. **There is a small crack in the back cover.**. Seller Inventory # 002775
Quantity: 1 available