Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. Settled in England for many years, he moved to America with his wife and four children for a few years, but has since returned to live in the UK. His bestselling travel books include The Road to Little Dribbling, The Lost Continent, Notes From a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods and Down Under. In a national poll, Notes from a Small Island was voted the book that best represents Britain. His acclaimed work of popular science, A Short History of Nearly Everything , won the Aventis Prize and the Descartes Prize, and was the