Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson
decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the
2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. The
AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling
lakes--and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also
provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his
fellow human beings.

For a start there's the gloriously out-of-shape Stephen Katz, a buddy
from Iowa along for the walk. Despite Katz's overwhelming desire to find
cozy restaurants, he and Bryson eventually settle into their stride,
and while on the trail they meet a bizarre assortment of hilarious
characters. But A Walk in the Woods is more than just a laugh-out-loud
hike. Bryson's acute eye is a wise witness to this beautiful but fragile
trail, and as he tells its fascinating history, he makes a moving plea
for the conservation of America's last great wilderness. An adventure, a
comedy, and a celebration, A Walk in the Woods is destined to become a
modern classic of travel literature.