A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)

I've read all of Bryson's books and you take the good with the bad. Yes, he's condescending, liberal to the extreme, preachy, an elitist who won't admit it, and hardly humble, but he's a fun guy to read, with good stories, good descriptions and generally, a quick wit.
I agree with all the positive and negative reviewers. While Bryson surely has a right to preach, it does seem rather arrogant in this book. But that's that pedantic lefties do, and Bryson is surely one.

I've been a Bryson fan since a British friend gave me a copy of "The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America" years ago -- what, I wonder, was his point??

"A Walk in the Woods" is more entertaining if you've read "Notes from a Small Island" (1997). In that book, Bryson takes a walking trip around Britain, his home of nearly 20 years, before returning to live in the States. When you walk around Britain, you can take the train on the hard bits and have a pub meal and bed every night if you like.

The irony, then, of Bryson comparing the Appalachian Trail to that experience!

"A Walk in the Woods" is a laughing-out-loud book but as usual with Bryson, his writing is well researched and the informative parts are presented in an offbeat and personal way -- without detracting from their clarity. His reconnection with American social and environmental history is well presented

This book is an object lesson on how NOT to undertake a project like the AT -- yet it almost makes you believe you could do it! Or at least that you owe it to yourself to try.

I have just recently started hiking and camping myself only really having any experience in the woods for no more than a few years. I found this book to read out like a fantasy of mine. Hiking in the middle of nowhere, No modern tools or advantages available to you. But it brought some realism to the dream. I felt I was there enjoying and suffering right with them. I want to thank Bill Bryson for writing this book and living the adventure.
If you enjoy the outdoors but cannot bare to take on the AT. Then get this book take a small hike to the top of of a cliff where the view is abundant, Lay out in some shade with a cool summer breeze and began your journey on the AT with Bill Bryson.

This book has obviously appealed to many readers. Some seem to be attracted by the humour, others by the subject matter and many by the writing skills of the author himself. There are some interesting factoids buried in this book, and some descriptive passages were terrific.

This is the first of Mr Bryson's books that I have not enjoyed. The antics of Messrs Bryson and Katz, two middle-aged, ego-centric and totally underprepared hikers, irritated me enormously.

I am glad that this is not the first of Mr Bryson's books I have read. If it was, it would almost certainly be the last.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

This is a book about a treacherous hike through a treacherous trail. When the author decides to take a hike on the Appalachian Trail, 2,200 miles of wilderness, who's a better choice to take with him than trusty old Katz... who was completely out of shape, had gone to rehab, and he hadn't seen in 25 years. From Bryson's adventure getting the equipment, to Katz's desperateness while trying to find a female, this is a great book cover to cover, and all the pages in between.

Several people, including me, have gone camping. So, if you have, imagine it, except for 6 months, without good campsites, and nonstop hiking all day long with massive packs on. Doesn't sound to fun, does it? I think Bryson did a great job making his torture seem comical. It's a hilarious book, the only funny nonfiction book I've ever read, which also causes it to be the only nonfiction I've ever enjoyed. But, as good as it is, while reading it I began to think it was sad. Here's why- it's nonfiction.