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Bill Bryson: The secret life of your home
Ever wondered why forks have four prongs? Or why we choose salt and pepper over other spices? For his new book, Bill Bryson took a trip around his own house to find out why we live the way we do.
via Bill Bryson: The secret life of your home | Life and style | The Guardian.
In one passage, describing the original owner of the house in Norfolk where he and his family now lives, Bryson writes:
“If it was Thomas Marsham’s goal in life to make as little impression as possible upon history, he achieved it gloriously.”
We’re in the presence of a master here, possibly the most informative and yet funniest non-fiction writer of our times. In the wake of that kind of writing, I know when I’m outclassed. So just read the rest of the article, and marvel again at Bryson’s gift for finding such wonder in the seemingly commonplace and mundane. Still on top of his form, after a long run including A Short History of Nearly Everything, the man shows no sign yet of slowing down. It’s enough to make you weep.
