A Really Short Journey Through the Body: An illustrated edition of the bestselling book about our incredible anatomy

by Bill Bryson

We spend our whole lives in one body and yet most of us have practically no idea how it works and what goes on inside it.

Want to know why the skin is the biggest organ? Why our brains can see into the future? Or why your eyes are back to front? Packed full of facts, big numbers (such as the amount of microbes that make you) and small numbers (the size of those very tiny microbes) all in full-colour.

This non-fiction book, packed with wonder from the globally bestselling Bill Bryson is a head-to-toe tour of the most amazing thing about you - YOUR BODY!

144 pages, Hardcover

Published October 19, 2023

About the author

Bill Bryson is a bestselling American-British author known for his witty and accessible nonfiction books spanning travel, science, and language. He rose to prominence with Notes from a Small Island (1995), an affectionate portrait of Britain, and solidified his global reputation with A Short History of Nearly Everything (2003), a popular science book that won the Aventis and Descartes Prizes. Raised in Iowa, Bryson lived most of his adult life in the UK, working as a journalist before turning to writing full-time. His other notable works include A Walk in the Woods, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, and The Mother Tongue. Bryson served as Chancellor of Durham University (2005–2011) and received numerous honorary degrees and awards, including an honorary OBE and election as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society. Though he announced his retirement from writing in 2020, he remains one of the most beloved voices in contemporary nonfiction, with over 16 million books sold worldwide.

Reviews

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book cover to cover with Logan (9yrs old). We both found it incredibly fascinating . Highly recommend if you have a curious kid.

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and nicely illustrated!

Found this book by accident in a London Bookshop and immediately fell in love with it🥰 I wasn‘t sure if I should track this book or post about it, as it is a children’s book, but I enjoyed it so much that I decided to do both. The book is an adapted version of Bill Bryson‘s book „The Body: A Guide for Occupants“ for adult readers. So please don’t expect an illustrated version of the full book (which I can highly recommend as well)! The chapters of the original book are broken down into easy-to-understand chunks, with one or two double pages per part of the body. These pages are incredibly beautifully illustrated. The drawings retain all the essential facts but are still colourful and all suitable for children. This book is a great recommendation for all children with genuine interest in the human body, as well as grown-ups like me who occasionally cherish illustrated books.