At Home: A Short History of Private Life

Following in the footsteps of the French writer Xavier de Maistre, who wrote an excellent book about a journey around his bedroom (Voyage Around My Room, 1794), Bill Bryson turns his witty and observant eye to the history of domestic life. Using each room of an English country house as his guide, he launches into extended discussions on everything from chimneys and refrigeration to wallpaper and toilets. While his book fails to pull the threads together into any kind of cohesive whole, his narrative is constantly engaging.