Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States

bill bryson

This book turns away from the highways and byways of middle America for a fast, exhilarating ride along the Route 66 of American language and popular culture.

Exploding much of America's self-created self-image, Bryson de-mythologises his native land - explaining how a dusty desert hamlet with neither woods nor holly became Hollywood, how the Wild West wasn't won, why Americans say "lootenant" and "Toosday", how Americans were eating junk food long before the word itself was cooked up - as well as exposing the true origins of the G-string, the original $64,000 question and Dr Kellogg of cornflakes fame.

Genres nonfictionhistorylanguagetravelhumorlinguisticsaudiobookamerican historyamericanthe united states of america

364 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1994

This edition

Format: 364 pages, Paperback
Published: October 23, 2001 by Avon Books
ISBN
ASIN: 0380713810
Language: English

About the author

bill bryson

William McGuire Bryson is an American-British journalist and author. Bryson has written a number of nonfiction books on topics including travel, the English language, and science. Born in the United States, he has been a resident of Britain for most of his adult life, returning to the U.S. between 1995 and 2003, and holds dual American and British citizenship. He served as the chancellor of Durham University from 2005 to 2011.
In 1995, while in the United Kingdom, Bryson authored Notes from a Small Island, an exploration of Britain. In 2003, he authored A Short History of Nearly Everything. In October 2020, he announced that he had retired from writing books. In 2022, he recorded an audiobook for Audible, The Secret History of Christmas. He has sold over 16 million books worldwide.