The Lost Continent

Bill Bryson’s The Lost Continent is an unsparing and hilarious account of one man’s rediscovery of America and his search for the perfect small town. Following an urge to rediscover his youth, Bill Bryson left his native Des Moines, Iowa, in a journey that would take 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, taking us along with him from Times Square to the Mississippi River to Williamsburg, Virginia. A heartfelt travelogue of Bryson’s journey straight into the heart and soul of America, The Lost Continent is a grand example of modern-day travel writing.

“The kind of book Steinbeck might have written if he’d traveled with David Letterman instead of Charlie the poodle.”—New York magazine