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  • At Home: A Short History of Private Life

  • By: Bill Bryson
  • Narrated by: Bill Bryson
  • Length: 16 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (4,976 ratings)
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At Home: A Short History of Private Life

By: Bill Bryson
Narrated by: Bill Bryson
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Editor 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.

Summary

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.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about At Home: A Short History of Private Life

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Fascinating

Great for anyone who likes social history. Told in an interesting and easy listening style

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Brilliant Bill B

Loved this.

Bill Bryson's cool, clear voice and perfect tone made for eay, engaged listening.

As always, his selection of incident and the trajectory of his tale, the seemingly odd yet intriguing story of private life and a lot of public life and the people and circumstances that have slowly lead to our private lives, is unexpected and masterly.

Because the story is wrapped around his own home, a former parsonage in Norfolk, it is, as much of his writing, also partly personal. And that is a touching touch.

Chapeau Mr Bryson.

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Outstanding

The research and execution of such a comprehensive work never fails to impress. Bill Bryson excels in this art Hidden gems of knowledge such as The true Great Fire of London not being in 1666 but the more devastating fire of 1212. It’s the extraordinary analysis and rhetoric that makes Bill Bryson a most entertaining and informative companion particularly when faced with mundane events like being stuck in a traffic jam.
5*

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A very good book. Well worth a listen

A good read, filled with Bryson’s great satire. I would recommend it, as for all Bills books

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More excellent work from Bryson

If you like Bryson's other books you'll more than likely enjoy this. Not as humorous as his travel writing, but I really like his factual histories (1927, history of nearly everything etc.). Fascinating and enjoyable.

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Fascinating book, brilliantly read

This has got to be one of Bryson's best books. If you loved A Short History Of Nearly Everything I'm sure you will love this - a history of civilisation told through a journey round his home in the English countryside.

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Very interesting!

A fact packed, fascinating and well written book. Narrated by the author, Bill Bryson, this is the only thing that slightly let's it down. He reads well enough - but as others have mentioned, has a tenancy to drone. That aside, I highly recommend this!

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Epic

This is enormous and ranges widely over so many interesting subjects and incredible stories. Extremely engaging and I love to hear Bryson himself narrating.

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Entertaining History

This is an entertaining history of domestic life. It kept my interest from beginning to end and I would highly recommend it!

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An easy listen yet educational

I loved the idea of the structure of the book. I learned a lot about the childhood in 18th and 29th century-horrible bit just for poor but also for rich children, about architecture and history Fein the household point of view.

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