Bill Bryson writes brilliantly, in my view. On the back of the book from which these extracts are taken, Down Under, Bryson"s travel book about his explorations of Australia, a blurb comments on his "effortlessly dry, direct way of viewing the world" - and his style reflects that dry directness. It"s straightforward, vivid and clear, but also witty, entertaining and often subtle - you always get the main idea, but you...