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At Home: A Short History of Private Life

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At Home: A Short History of Private Life

By: Bill Bryson
Narrated by: Bill Bryson
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About this listen

Here is Bill Bryson’s entertaining and illuminating book about the history of the way we live - complete, unabridged and read by the author.

Bill Bryson was struck one day by the thought that we devote more time to studying the battles and wars of history than to considering what history really consists of: centuries of people quietly going about their daily business. This inspired him to start a journey around his own house, an old rectory in Norfolk, considering how the ordinary things in life came to be. Along the way, he researched the history of anything and everything, from architecture to electricity, from food preservation to epidemics, from the spice trade to the Eiffel Tower, from crinolines to toilets. And he discovered that there is a huge amount of history, interest and excitement - and even a little danger - lurking in the corners of every home.

Where A Short History of Nearly Everything was a sweeping panorama of the world, the universe and everything, At Home peers at private life through a microscope. Bryson applies the same irrepressible curiosity, irresistible wit, stylish prose, and masterful storytelling that made A Short History of Nearly Everything one of the most lauded books of the last decade.

©2010 Bill Bryson (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Thought-Provoking Funny Feel-Good War

Editorial reviews

A tremendous look at the very dense but often overlooked history of ordinary, everyday life can be found in the brilliant audiobook At Home: A Short History of Private Life, written and narrated by award-winning and appraised author Bill Bryson. This book delivers the perfect combination of lighthearted entertainment and thoroughly researched facts. Bryson’s beautifully constructed prose brings even the most seemingly insignificant of household items to an entirely exciting front. Listeners will find themselves gazing far more closely and with much more appreciation at the small items that make up much of their daily life. Available now from Audible.
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Good listening as most of Bill Bryson's books. Enlightening and entertaining. A goid picture of life tgrough the ages.

Good listening

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Bill Bryson once again making me happy with a book full of charming stories & facts.

another great book from Bill

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witty and informative.
beautifully read by the author.
a wealth of little known facts about early domesticity.

fascinating and well read

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This book, and the narrator, convey a lot of information in a very interesting way. Very enjoyable, if you like history.

A likeable lesson

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Wonderfully entertaining writing. Pure Bryson. thoroughly enjoyed it. The reading is a bit flat though.

Wonderful insight

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