cover image The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America

The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America

Bill Bryson. Harper Perennial, $14.99 (320pp) ISBN 978-0-06-092008-1

Journalist Bryson decided to relive the dreary vacation car trips of his American childhood. Starting out at his mother's house in Des Moines, Iowa, he motors through 38 states over the course of two months, looking for the quintessential American small town. ``Some of Bryson's comments are hilarious--if you enjoy the nonstop whining wisecracks of a 36-year-old kid,'' determined PW. (Sept.)