
Bill Bryson Reading Order
10 series Β· 58 books Β· Born 1951-12-08
Bill Bryson is an Anglo-American author renowned for bringing humor and wit to narrative non-fiction across travel, linguistics, and popular science. His comedic voice has made him one of the bestselling non-fiction writers of recent decades, with over fifty books exploring everything from road trips across America to the history of everyday objects and the evolution of English. Whether recounting misadventures abroad or untangling complex scientific concepts, Bryson excels at making informative narratives entertaining and accessible to general audiences.
Anthologies Series
Complete3 books (1990β2020)
Start with Great Baseball Stories and read in order.
Start this series with Great Baseball Stories
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Great Baseball Stories |
| 2 | The Astronomy Book |
| 3 | Dear NHS |
Eminent Lives Series
Complete13 books (1991β2009)
Start with Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time(By: Karen Armstrong), the first of 13 books in the Eminent Lives series.
Start this series with Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time(By: Karen Armstrong)
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time(By: Karen Armstrong) |
| 2 | George Balanchine(By: Robert Gottlieb) |
| 3 | Ulysses S. Grant: The Unlikely Hero(By: Michael Korda) |
| 4 | Alexander the Great(By: Norman F. Cantor) |
| 5 | Beethoven(By: Edmund Morris) |
| 6 | Caravaggio(By: Francine Prose) |
| 7 | Thomas Jefferson(By: Christopher Hitchens) |
| 8 | Alexis de Tocqueville(By: Joseph Epstein) |
| 9 | Francis Crick(By: Matt Ridley) |
| 10 | Freud(By: Peter D. Kramer) |
| 11 | Machiavelli(By: Ross King) |
| 12 | Shakespeare |
| 13 | George Washington(By: Paul Johnson) |
History Series
Complete3 books (2008β2013)
Start with Icons of England and read in order.
Start this series with Icons of England
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Icons of England |
| 2 | At Home: A Short History of Private Life |
| 3 | One Summer: America, 1927 |
Language Series
Complete4 books (1984β2008)
Start with Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words, the first of 4 books in the Language series.
Start this series with Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words |
| 2 | The Mother Tongue |
| 3 | Made in America |
| 4 | Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors |
Marina Warner Travel Series
Complete2 books (2000β2015)
Start with The English Landscape: Its Character and Diversity(With: Marina Warner,Christopher Lloyd,Jennifer Jenkins,David Bellamy,Robin Hanbury-Tenbison,Anna Parord) and read in order.
Start this series with The English Landscape: Its Character and Diversity(With: Marina Warner,Christopher Lloyd,Jennifer Jenkins,David Bellamy,Robin Hanbury-Tenbison,Anna Parord)
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | The English Landscape: Its Character and Diversity(With: Marina Warner,Christopher Lloyd,Jennifer Jenkins,David Bellamy,Robin Hanbury-Tenbison,Anna Parord) |
| 2 | Myth and Landscape(By: Marina Warner,Ibrahim al-Koni,DavidParker) |
Non-Fiction Series
Likely Complete4 books (2000β2022)
Start with The Best American Travel Writing 2000, the first of 4 books in the Non-Fiction series.
Start this series with The Best American Travel Writing 2000
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Best American Travel Writing 2000 |
| 2 | The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir |
| 3 | Shakespeare |
| 4 | The Secret History of Christmas |
Science Series
Ongoing5 books (2003β2025)
Start with A Short History of Nearly Everything, the first of 5 books in the Science series.
Start this series with A Short History of Nearly Everything
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | A Short History of Nearly Everything |
| 2 | A Really Short History of Nearly Everything |
| 3 | Seeing Further |
| 4 | The Body |
| 5 | A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0 |
Short Story Collections Series
Complete1 book (2023β2023)
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Bill Bryson BBC Radio Collection |
The Best American: Travel Writing Series
Likely Complete13 books (2000β2021)
Start with The Best American Travel Writing 2000, the first of 12 books in the The Best American: Travel Writing series.
Start this series with The Best American Travel Writing 2000
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Best American Travel Writing 2000 |
| 2 | The Best American Travel Writing 2011(By: Sloane Crosley) |
| 3 | The Best American Travel Writing 2012(By: Jason Wilson) |
| 4 | The Best American Travel Writing 2013(By: Jason Wilson) |
| 5 | The Best American Travel Writing 2013(By: Jason Wilson,Bernd Brunner) |
| 6 | The Best American Travel Writing 2014(By: Jason Wilson) |
| 7 | The Best American Travel Writing 2015(By: Jason Wilson) |
| 8 | The Best American Travel Writing 2016 |
| 9 | The Best American Travel Writing 2017(By: Jason Wilson,Lauren Collins) |
| 10 | The Best American Travel Writing 2018(By: Cheryl Strayed) |
| 11 | The Best American Travel Writing 2019(By: Jason Wilson) |
| 12 | The Best American Travel Writing 2020(By: Jason Wilson) |
| 13 | The Best American Travel Writing 2021(By: Padma Lakshmi) |
Travel Series
Complete10 books (1985β2015)
Start with The Palace Under the Alps, the first of 10 books in the Travel series.
Start this series with The Palace Under the Alps
Buy Book 1 πΊπΈπ§ Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Palace Under the Alps |
| 2 | The Lost Continent |
| 3 | Neither Here nor There |
| 4 | Notes from a Small Island |
| 5 | A Walk in the Woods |
| 6 | I'm a Stranger Here Myself / Notes from a Big Country |
| 7 | In a Sunburned Country / Down Under |
| 8 | The English Landscape: Its Character and Diversity(With: Marina Warner,Christopher Lloyd,Jennifer Jenkins,David Bellamy,Robin Hanbury-Tenbison,Anna Parord) |
| 9 | Bill Bryson's African Diary |
| 10 | The Road to Little Dribbling |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many books has Bill Bryson written?
- Bill Bryson has written 58 books across 10 series. Their published works span from 1984 to 2025.
- What is the first book in each Bill Bryson series?
- Here are the first books in Bill Bryson's series: Anthologies: Great Baseball Stories; Eminent Lives: Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time(By: Karen Armstrong); History: Icons of England; Language: Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words; Marina Warner Travel: The English Landscape: Its Character and Diversity(With: Marina Warner,Christopher Lloyd,Jennifer Jenkins,David Bellamy,Robin Hanbury-Tenbison,Anna Parord).
- What order should I read Bill Bryson's books?
- We recommend reading Bill Bryson's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
- Is Bill Bryson still writing new books?
- Yes, Bill Bryson has 1 ongoing series: Science.

