After nearly two decades in Britain, Bill Bryson took the decision to move back to the USA. Before leaving his much-loved home in North Yorkshire, he took one last trip around the UK, and in this book, he turns an affectionate but laconic eye on his adopted country.

Recreates the excitement, brutality and adventure of the British Empire. This book is a major reinterpretation of the British Empire as one of the world's modernising forces. It shows how the British Empire in the 19th Century spearheaded real globalisation with steampower, telegraphs, guns, engineers, missionaries and millions of settlers.

Describes London from the time of the Druids to the beginning of the twenty-first century, noting magnificence in both epochs. This title includes chapters on the history of silence and the history of light, the history of childhood and the history of suicide, the history of Cockney speech and the history of drink.

Sister Clarice, a nun in the House of St Mary at Clerkenwell, experiences visions. This novel begins with The Nun's Tale , and continues with the The Friar's Tale , The Merchant's Tale and The Clerk's Tale , building a portrait of medieval London, where people are disenchanted by the Church.

Contains extraordinary experiences that include stories about a television camera that killed people, and about how Colonel Gadhaffi farted his way through an interview.

From being punched in the stomach by Harold Wilson on one of his first days as a reporter, to flying into Teheran with the returning Ayatollah Khomeini, John Simpson has had an eventful career. With his uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time, this autobiography offers a ring-side seat at various major events in global history.