Notes from a Big Country
Bryson, Bill
Used - Hardcover
Condition: Used - Very good
Ships from Germany to U.S.A.
Quantity: 2 available
Add to basketCondition: Used - Very good
Quantity: 2 available
Add to basketGut/Very good: Buch bzw. Schutzumschlag mit wenigen Gebrauchsspuren an Einband, Schutzumschlag oder Seiten. / Describes a book or dust jacket that does show some signs of wear on either the binding, dust jacket or pages.
Seller Inventory # M00385410190-V
"Here's a fact for you. According to the latest "Abstract of the United States", every year more than 400,00 Americans suffer injuries involving beds, mattresses or pillows...That is more people than live in greater Coventry. That is almost 2,000 bed, mattress or pillow injuries a day. In the time it takes you to read this article, four Americans will somehow manage to be wounded by their bedding."Fans of Bill Bryson will know by now that this is the kind of completely useless information that gets him excited. In fact, you are unlikely to read anyone else who derives quite so much pleasure from meaningless statistics. If those statistics are about the USA (Bryson's homeland) or his adopted England--or even better, comparing one to the other--then he is in heaven. And it is not only the uselessness of the information that interests him, but also the fact that Americans spend millions of dollars and hours each year collecting such data together.
Though not a match for his earlier success of Notes from a Small Island, Notes from a Big Country takes a good second place. It collects together more than 18 months worth of Mail on Sunday columns which Bryson wrote between October 1996 and May 1998 after he and his English wife and children returned to the US and settled in New England. The only thing that outshines his amazement--and sometimes, outright dismay--at the way American society has changed while he's been away, is his English-born family's instant embracing of transatlantic culture.
A word of warning: reading Bill Bryson is not a spectator sport...you are invited-- in fact, compelled--to marvel at how the nation that "has the largest economy, the most comfortably off people, the best research facilities, many of the finest universities and think-tanks, and more Nobel Prize winners than the rest of the world put together" could be the same nation where "13 per cent of women...cannot say whether they wear their tights under their knickers or over them. That's something like 12 million women walking around in a state of chronic foundation garment uncertainty." This is Bryson at his best, and though not every column inch hits the heady heights of underwear distribution, there are enough laugh-out-loud moments to keep you satisfied.
Detractors of Bryson's work complain all his books are the same, yet dedicated followers cite that very uniformity of style and subject as the reason they return, book after book. Anyone disappointed by A Walk in the Woods (Bryson's account of hiking the Appalachian Trail and not his best book) will have their faith restored by Notes from a Big Country-- here Bryson returns to his favourite subject and the simple, journalistic prose that makes his wacky facts and observations instantly accessible.
Bryson does not pretend to deliver an intellectual treatise on the state of mankind; instead he offers one man's take on how humanity lurches from one day to another--ironically through the kinds of details he mocks others for collecting. --Lucie Naylor
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
1. Scope
For all orders via our store on the AbeBooks Marketplace, the following terms and conditions apply. Unless otherwise agreed, the inclusion of any terms and conditions of your own used by you is contradicted.
2. contracting party, conclusion of contract, correction options
The purchase contract is concluded with momox SE.
The subject of the contract is the sale of goods.
If an article is posted by us on AbeBooks, the activation of the offer page on AbeBooks is the binding offer to conclu...
Right of withdrawal
You have the right to cancel this contract within fourteen days without giving any reason. The withdrawal period is fourteen days from the day on which you or a third party named by you, who is not the carrier, have taken or has taken possession of the last goods. In order to exercise your right of withdrawal, you must inform momox SE, Schreiberhauer Straße 30, 10317 Berlin, telephone number: 0049 (0) 30/488 288 200, e-mail: service@momox-shop.uk, by means of a clear declaration (e.g. a letter sent by post, fax or e-mail) of your decision to withdraw from this contract. You can use the model withdrawal form for this purpose, but it is not mandatory. In order to comply with the withdrawal period, it is sufficient that you send the notification of the exercise of the right of withdrawal before the expiry of the withdrawal period.
Consequences of the revocation
If you revoke this contract, we shall reimburse you for all payments we have received from you, including delivery costs (with the exception of additional costs resulting from the fact that you have chosen a type of delivery other than the most favorable standard delivery offered by us), without undue delay and no later than within fourteen days from the day on which we received the notification of your revocation of this contract. For this repayment, we will use the same means of payment that you used for the original transaction, unless expressly agreed otherwise with you; in no case will you be charged any fees because of this repayment. We may refuse repayment until we have received the goods back or until you have provided proof that you have returned the goods, whichever is the earlier. You must return the goods immediately and in any case no later than within fourteen days from the day on which you notify us of the revocation of this contract to us or to return the goods:
medimops.de Retoure,
Am alten Flughafen 100,
D-04356 Leipzig
Germany
The deadline is met if you send the goods before the expiry of fourteen days. You shall bear the direct costs of returning the goods. You will only have to pay for any loss in value of the goods if this loss in value is due to handling of the goods that is not necessary for checking the condition, properties and functioning of the goods.
| Order quantity | 10 to 20 business days | 10 to 20 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 8.64 | £ 12.96 |
Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.