A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)
by Bill Bryson

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)
List Price: $15.99
Our Price: $0.01
You Save: $15.98 (100%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Bill Bryson
Brand: Liberty Mountain
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1999-05-04
ISBN: 0767902521
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Broadway
Product features:

Book Reviews of A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)

Book Review: Not a guide book - really. Read it anyway.
Summary: 5 Stars

It's a shame how many people seem to have bought this looking for a travel guide and missed the whole point. This is the book that got me to read the read of Bryson's catologue and I've enjoyed them all. (OK, I only occasionally read parts of a Brief History of Everything) This is one of those books that tells you the truth even though you know he maikg up a good bit of the stuff included. Bryson and Katz set off on an ill-advised assault of the AT and learn more about themselves in the process. I've always had a hankering to hike the AT and may never make it, but part of me feels like I've at least been to parts of it because of this book. There are AT people out there who scoff at this book just as there are marathoners who look down on those take more than 5 hours to finish. This book is about the road not travelled all the way, but at least attempted and shared.

Summary of A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)

Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes--and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings.

For a start there's the gloriously out-of-shape Stephen Katz, a buddy from Iowa along for the walk. Despite Katz's overwhelming desire to find cozy restaurants, he and Bryson eventually settle into their stride, and while on the trail they meet a bizarre assortment of hilarious characters. But A Walk in the Woods is more than just a laugh-out-loud hike. Bryson's acute eye is a wise witness to this beautiful but fragile trail, and as he tells its fascinating history, he makes a moving plea for the conservation of America's last great wilderness. An adventure, a comedy, and a celebration, A Walk in the Woods is destined to become a modern classic of travel literature.


Your initial reaction to Bill Bryson's reading of A Walk in the Woods may well be "Egads! What a bore!" But by sentence three or four, his clearly articulated, slightly adenoidal, British/American-accented speech pattern begins to grow on you and becomes quite engaging. You immediately get a hint of the humor that lies ahead, such as one of the innumerable reasons he longed to walk as many of the 2,100 miles of the Appalachian Trail as he could. "It would get me fit after years of waddlesome sloth" is delivered with glorious deadpan flair. By the time our storyteller recounts his trip to the Dartmouth Co-op, suffering serious sticker shock over equipment prices, you'll be hooked.

When Bryson speaks for the many Americans he encounters along the way--in various shops, restaurants, airports, and along the trail--he launches into his American accent, which is whiny and full of hard r's. And his southern intonations are a hoot. He's even got a special voice used exclusively when speaking for his somewhat surprising trail partner, Katz. In the 25 years since their school days together, Katz has put on quite a bit of weight. In fact, "he brought to mind Orson Welles after a very bad night. He was limping a little and breathing harder than one ought to after a walk of 20 yards." Katz often speaks in monosyllables, and Bryson brings his limited vocabulary humorously to life. One of Katz's more memorable utterings is "flung," as in flung most of his provisions over the cliff because they were too heavy to carry any farther.

The author has thoroughly researched the history and the making of the Appalachian Trail. Bryson describes the destruction of many parts of the forest and warns of the continuing perils (both natural and man-made) the Trail faces. He speaks of the natural beauty and splendor as he and Katz pass through, and he recalls clearly the serious dangers the two face during their time together on the trail. So, A Walk in the Woods is not simply an out-of-shape, middle-aged man's desire to prove that he can still accomplish a major physical task; it's also a plea for the conservation of America's last wilderness. Bryson's telling is a knee-slapping, laugh-out-loud funny trek through the woods, with a touch of science and history thrown in for good measure. (Running time: 360 minutes, four cassettes) --Colleen Preston

Mountain Climbing Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Backpacking Books
Where the Waters Divide: A 3,000-Mile Trek Along America's Continental Divide ImageWhere the Waters Divide: A 3,000-Mile Trek Along America's Continental Divide
by Karen Berger, Daniel R. Smith
W.W. Norton & Company; Countryman Press; Published: 1997-11; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops: $19.95
The Mindful Hiker: On the Trail to Find the Path ImageThe Mindful Hiker: On the Trail to Find the Path
by Stephen Altschuler
DeVorss & Company; Published: 2004-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.94
Price in other shops: $16.95
Awol on the Appalachian Trail ImageAwol on the Appalachian Trail
by David Miller
Wingspan Press; Published: 2006-04-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.95
White Blaze Fever ImageWhite Blaze Fever
by Bill Schuette
Virtualbookworm.com Publishing; Published: 2003-07-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.45
Price in other shops: $14.95
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail) ImageA Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)
by Bill Bryson
Liberty Mountain; Broadway; Published: 1999-05-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.00
Price in other shops: $15.99
The Complete Walker IV ImageThe Complete Walker IV
by Colin Fletcher, Chip Rawlins
Liberty Mountain; Knopf; Published: 2002-04-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.73
Price in other shops: $23.95
Similar Books and other products
Made in America ImageMade in America
by Bill Bryson
Harper Perennial; Published: 1996-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.72
Price in other shops: $14.99
Bill Bryson's African Diary ImageBill Bryson's African Diary
by Bill Bryson
Broadway; Published: 2002-12-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.30
Price in other shops: $12.00
American Sublime ImageAmerican Sublime
by Elizabeth Alexander
Graywolf Press; Published: 2005-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.49
Price in other shops: $14.00
Praise Song for the Day: A Poem for Barack Obama's Presidential Inauguration ImagePraise Song for the Day: A Poem for Barack Obama's Presidential Inauguration
by Elizabeth Alexander
Graywolf Press; Published: 2009-02-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.03
Price in other shops: $8.00
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir ImageThe Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir
by Bill Bryson
Broadway; Published: 2007-09-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.85
Price in other shops: $15.99
A Short History of Nearly Everything ImageA Short History of Nearly Everything
by Bill Bryson
Broadway; Published: 2004-09-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.95
Price in other shops: $16.99
I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away ImageI'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away
by Bill Bryson
Broadway; Published: 2000-06-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops: $14.95
Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe ImageNeither Here nor There: Travels in Europe
by Bill Bryson
Harper Perennial; Published: 1999-04-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.48
Price in other shops: $14.99
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America ImageThe Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America
by Bill Bryson
Harper Perennial; Published: 1990-09-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.90
Price in other shops: $14.99
In a Sunburned Country ImageIn a Sunburned Country
by Bill Bryson
Broadway; Published: 2001-05-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.49
Price in other shops: $14.95
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories