Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson set out to understand the science he'd ignored his whole life, and turned the search into one of the most delightful popular-science books ever written. A Short History of Nearly Everything is the story of how we figured out the universe, told with wonder, wit, and a layman's gratitude.

Bill Bryson and his hopeless old friend Katz set out to hike the Appalachian Trail in A Walk in the Woods, and the result is gut-funny travel writing that's also a sneakily serious tribute to the American forest.