What's Hot| Upload Video| Email this Page| Your Account

The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America

An unsparing and hilarious account of one man's rediscovery of America and his search for the perfect small town.

A travelogue by Bill Bryson is as close to a sure thing as funny books get. The Lost Continent is no exception. Following an urge to rediscover his youth (he should know better), the author leaves his native Des Moines, Iowa, in a journey that takes 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. Gentler elements aside, The Lost Continent is an amusing book. Here's Bryson on the women of his native state: "I will say this, however--and it's a strange, strange thing--the teenaged daughters of these fat women are always utterly delectable ... I don't know what it is that happens to them, but it must be awful to marry one of those nubile cuties knowing that there is a time bomb ticking away in her that will at some unknown date make her bloat out into something huge and grotesque, presumably all of a sudden and without much notice, like a self-inflating raft from which the pin has been yanked."

Yes, Bill, but be honest: what do you really think?

  more

BestDeal

$8.13

ComparePrices

Get price with tax & shipping*
Sold at 2 Stores
title,descmerchant price seeit
Smarter Choice
Paperback, The Lost Continent

Bill Bryson s unsparing and hilarious account of his travels across America in search of the perfect small town. At...

  • $8.13
  • Coupon

    1 coupon available

    • Code:
    • Detail:

      Take $5 OFF the purchase of $100 or more at Buy.com

    • Expires:Nov-30-2009
    • Restriction:New Customers Only. Coupons are not valid on Marketplace items
See it
The Lost Continent: Travels in...

Pages: 320, Paperback, Harper Perennial

  • $10.79
  • Coupon

    1 coupon available

    • Code:No Code Required
    • Detail:

      FREE Shipping on orders over $25 at Amazon.

    • Expires:Dec-31-2010
    • Restriction:Some restrictions apply. See site for details.
See it

*Shipping costs are based on an estimate of the lowest shipping rate available within the contiguous US, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. Only merchants with this product in stock are listed (Merchants with this product back ordered have been removed from this list).

Do you see a pricing error? Please let us know by filling out a simple form: Click here

MoreStores

Write a review

ProductReviews59/100 (100 Reviews)

Recent Reviews

2/5
From: Amazon
Posted: Sep-07-2009
A poorly planned journey

This travel journal had such good potential but Mr. Bryson blew it. He timed his destinations in seasons of bad weather and missed so many opportunities. I did enjoy his anecdotes of traveling with his family during his childhood. I...

read full review | report as inappropriate
1/5
From: Amazon
Posted: Aug-30-2009
A Bill Bryson Bummer

Let me start by saying that I love all things Bill Bryson. I have laughed until I've cried at ceretain parts of every book he has written, and regularly relisten to "A Short History" on audiobook. Anybody that can make that much science...

read full review | report as inappropriate
1/5
From: Amazon
Posted: Aug-15-2009
Drive Past This One...

The short version: I love Bryson's other books, I hated this one.Why?#1. Mean-spirited whining about how he hates everything. That got old real fast.#2. Not much in it that's funny. I don't think I cracked a smile the whole way. It...

read full review | report as inappropriate
5/5
From: Amazon
Posted: Aug-02-2009
Funny as heck

I read this book when it came out a long time ago, and just came across it now. I don't recall the details, which are extensively covered in the other reviews. I do remember, however, that it was one of the few books which made me laugh...

read full review | report as inappropriate

Selected Reviews

5/5
From: Amazon
Posted: Aug-02-2009
Funny as heck

I read this book when it came out a long time ago, and just came across it now. I don't recall the details, which are extensively covered in the other reviews. I do remember, however, that it was one of the few books which made me laugh...

read full review | report as inappropriate
3/5
From: Amazon
Posted: Jun-11-2009
Hilarious tour of America, circa 1988

Fans of Bill Bryson will enjoy this book. He's up to his usual hilarious self, with observations about America (late 1980s) that will make you laugh so hard you have to put the book down. Unfortunately, I found his occasional political...

read full review | report as inappropriate
2/5
From: Amazon
Posted: Sep-07-2009
A poorly planned journey

This travel journal had such good potential but Mr. Bryson blew it. He timed his destinations in seasons of bad weather and missed so many opportunities. I did enjoy his anecdotes of traveling with his family during his childhood. I...

read full review | report as inappropriate
9
Page 1 of 1

SimilarProducts

Channel Directory:

Science Fiction |  Comic Books |  Cookbooks |  Biographies |  Children's Books
close
close

More legal stuff: Smarter.com is a comparison shopping website that compares prices and products at online stores to help consumers save money. Stores are responsible for providing us with accurate price and product information, including the proper codes for coupons, discounts and rebates. Tax and shipping costs are estimates. Please confirm all costs before making your final purchase at the online store. All merchant ratings, product reviews and video reviews are submitted by shoppers or third-party websites. We are not responsible for their content. If you have any concerns about content on our website, please contact us.