The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America

The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America
by Bill Bryson

The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America
List Price: $14.99
Our Price: $0.18
You Save: $14.81 (99%)
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
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1990-09-12
ISBN: 0060920084
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Product features: Accessories:

Book Reviews of The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America

Book Review: Jesty journalism at its finest
Summary: 5 Stars

Riding in the passenger seat with Bill Bryson through 38 states and 14,000 miles makes for a highly comical and riveting drive. A hoot!

Some reviewers tag the book as condescending, sarcastic and sneering. Bryson calls it as he see's it...just how things really seem.
Along with pointing out positive attributes of our country, how can one also not notice the moronicities and ludicrousness which fevers the nation, whether it be in the people we encounter, the places, etc? Bryson is a genius in this category.

In addition to his side-splitting activities from town to town and state to state, he rediscovers not only America but also his youth with many, many hilarious situations. Embellishments travel directly to the tickle-bone.

Summary of The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America

An unsparing and hilarious account of one man's rediscovery of America and his search for the perfect small town.
A travelogue by Bill Bryson is as close to a sure thing as funny books get. The Lost Continent is no exception. Following an urge to rediscover his youth (he should know better), the author leaves his native Des Moines, Iowa, in a journey that takes him across 38 states. Lucky for us, he brought a notebook.

With a razor wit and a kind heart, Bryson serves up a colorful tale of boredom, kitsch, and beauty when you least expect it. Gentler elements aside, The Lost Continent is an amusing book. Here's Bryson on the women of his native state: "I will say this, however--and it's a strange, strange thing--the teenaged daughters of these fat women are always utterly delectable ... I don't know what it is that happens to them, but it must be awful to marry one of those nubile cuties knowing that there is a time bomb ticking away in her that will at some unknown date make her bloat out into something huge and grotesque, presumably all of a sudden and without much notice, like a self-inflating raft from which the pin has been yanked."

Yes, Bill, but be honest: what do you really think?

Essays Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Gifts to Make You Laugh
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: $5.49
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: $4.96
Price in other shops: $12.00
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: $7.99
Price in other shops: $15.99
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
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: $4.95
Price in other shops: $14.95
A Short History of Nearly Everything ImageA Short History of Nearly Everything
by Bill Bryson
Broadway; Published: 2004-09-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.98
Price in other shops: $16.99
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - Indecision 2004 ImageThe Daily Show with Jon Stewart - Indecision 2004
PARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2005-06-28; DVD
Best price: $4.34
Price in other shops: $39.98
A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All ImageA Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All
PARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2008-11-25; DVD
Best price: $7.43
Price in other shops: $12.98
Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger ImageChris Rock: Kill the Messenger
HBO HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2009-01-20; DVD
Best price: $4.90
Price in other shops: $14.98
Saturday Night Live - The Best of Will Ferrell - Volumes 1& 2 ImageSaturday Night Live - The Best of Will Ferrell - Volumes 1& 2
LIONS GATE HOME ENT.; Release date: 2004-09-07; DVD
Best price: $7.97
Price in other shops: $14.98
Similar Books and other products
A Short History of Nearly Everything ImageA Short History of Nearly Everything
by Bill Bryson
Broadway; Published: 2004-09-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.11
Price in other shops: $16.99
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: $7.98
Price in other shops: $15.99
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail ImageA Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
by Bill Bryson
Anchor; Published: 2006-12-26; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.49
Price in other shops: $7.99
The Mother Tongue ImageThe Mother Tongue
by Bill Bryson
Harper Perennial; Published: 1991-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.63
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: $7.00
Price in other shops: $14.95
Bill Bryson's African Diary ImageBill Bryson's African Diary
by Bill Bryson
Broadway; Published: 2002-12-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.10
Price in other shops: $12.00
Notes from a Small Island ImageNotes from a Small Island
by Bill Bryson
Harper Perennial; Published: 1997-05-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.95
Price in other shops: $14.99
Made in America ImageMade in America
by Bill Bryson
Harper Perennial; Published: 1996-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.63
Price in other shops: $14.99
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: $7.00
Price in other shops: $14.99
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: $4.95
Price in other shops: $14.95
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories