--- product_id: 4183213 title: "Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States" price: "$31.05" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/4183213-made-in-america-an-informal-history-of-the-english-language store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States **Price:** $31.05 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States - **How much does it cost?** $31.05 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/4183213-made-in-america-an-informal-history-of-the-english-language) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description “A literate exploration of why we use—or mangle—our native tongue.”—USA Today Bill Bryson celebrates America’s magnificent offspring in the book that reveals once and for all how a dusty western hamlet with neither woods nor holly came to be known as Hollywood…and exactly why Mr. Yankee Doodle call his befeathered cap “Macaroni.” Review: Informal is Right! - Like all Bill Bryson books I have read, and that is most of them, this is delightful. American English, as many have noted, is a thing apart. Bryson, enjoying his every word and sentence as readers will, tells us how it got that way. History plays a large part, as it must. Readers will learn much, and learn it painlessly. There are hearty laughs along the way as well as amused smiles; his partial list of place names in the U.S. is good for a guffaw. Have you been to Bugscuffle, Tennessee, or Jerk Tail, Missouri? You will learn that Oatmeal, Texas is named for a Mr. Othneil. Bryson also comments on sexual bias as seen in pairs of words like master/mistress, pointing out that the masculine word denotes power, the feminine form, submission. Bibliography and index. Review: A knowledgeable conversation about the language - Pardon me while I whine a bit, but the reviewers who complain that the book lacks scholarship and similar pedantic complaints have missed the point. Bill Bryson is a writer, a storyteller, and man of wide interests who can churn out charming, remarkably well researched books at a satisfying rate. Like his History of Everything (the "history" of science), The Informal History of American English is not a textbook, not complete and not intended for a serious study of the language. It makes the point that language is evolutionary, a flexible, variable tool that, in America, probably has had a broader range of lasting influences than most languages, and those influences reflect American society. If you are a reader and like words and their derivations, this is dessert--fully satisfying but not the complete meal. He prefers the words and sayings that have good stories about them, and his 20 years of living in England are reflected in is often wry, dryly witty take on the facts. It is occasionally laugh out loud, has any number of chuckles and is interesting throughout. He writes easily and occasionally reflects some real depth in his efforts. He relies perhaps a bit too much on Mencken's research, but then they share a world view and sense of humor. Originally a travel writer, he takes a trip through American history and points out the bits that interest him most, and makes it enjoyable, entertaining and even educational. Like a conversation, the book sometimes wanders off topic to charming or ironic side note, but he always returns to the main road. If your expectations are reasonable, this book is a pleasure and I suspect you will pick it up later, from time to time, to remind yourself of the story or circumstances behind the way we speak or just to get a moment of intelligent wit. I gave it 4, instead of 5, stars because he could have written more, because it needs a little editing and because despite an impressive bibliography, a bit of the philosophy of language development would not have gone amiss. But for a pleasurable read on an interesting topic for the dilettante (history of the word dilettante is in the book), this is a good buy. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #136,783 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #33 in Linguistics Reference #44 in English Dictionaries & Thesauruses #65 in Travel Writing Reference | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,367 Reviews | ## Images ![Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81IlQ32vw4L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Informal is Right! *by S***S on June 5, 2012* Like all Bill Bryson books I have read, and that is most of them, this is delightful. American English, as many have noted, is a thing apart. Bryson, enjoying his every word and sentence as readers will, tells us how it got that way. History plays a large part, as it must. Readers will learn much, and learn it painlessly. There are hearty laughs along the way as well as amused smiles; his partial list of place names in the U.S. is good for a guffaw. Have you been to Bugscuffle, Tennessee, or Jerk Tail, Missouri? You will learn that Oatmeal, Texas is named for a Mr. Othneil. Bryson also comments on sexual bias as seen in pairs of words like master/mistress, pointing out that the masculine word denotes power, the feminine form, submission. Bibliography and index. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A knowledgeable conversation about the language *by B***H on May 10, 2008* Pardon me while I whine a bit, but the reviewers who complain that the book lacks scholarship and similar pedantic complaints have missed the point. Bill Bryson is a writer, a storyteller, and man of wide interests who can churn out charming, remarkably well researched books at a satisfying rate. Like his History of Everything (the "history" of science), The Informal History of American English is not a textbook, not complete and not intended for a serious study of the language. It makes the point that language is evolutionary, a flexible, variable tool that, in America, probably has had a broader range of lasting influences than most languages, and those influences reflect American society. If you are a reader and like words and their derivations, this is dessert--fully satisfying but not the complete meal. He prefers the words and sayings that have good stories about them, and his 20 years of living in England are reflected in is often wry, dryly witty take on the facts. It is occasionally laugh out loud, has any number of chuckles and is interesting throughout. He writes easily and occasionally reflects some real depth in his efforts. He relies perhaps a bit too much on Mencken's research, but then they share a world view and sense of humor. Originally a travel writer, he takes a trip through American history and points out the bits that interest him most, and makes it enjoyable, entertaining and even educational. Like a conversation, the book sometimes wanders off topic to charming or ironic side note, but he always returns to the main road. If your expectations are reasonable, this book is a pleasure and I suspect you will pick it up later, from time to time, to remind yourself of the story or circumstances behind the way we speak or just to get a moment of intelligent wit. I gave it 4, instead of 5, stars because he could have written more, because it needs a little editing and because despite an impressive bibliography, a bit of the philosophy of language development would not have gone amiss. But for a pleasurable read on an interesting topic for the dilettante (history of the word dilettante is in the book), this is a good buy. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Classic Bill Bryson *by E***R on August 18, 2019* Somehow, I missed this book, even after discovering Bill Bryson and reading all of his other works. I'm very glad I eventually found it, because it's wonderful. The title is a little bit misleading, because it's really only partly about the English language. It's mostly about fascinating, usually funny, historical anecdotes, with just a dash of English language thrown in. There are several points in the book where you're just reading about history for page after page -- written in the classic Bill Bryson style, so much less dull than it would otherwise be -- with seemingly no connection to language. Then after three or four pages, he makes the connection to a single word. And then he dashes off to another series of historical events. I'd say this is a can't-miss for any Bryson fans, and a great place to start if you're interested in the author but have not experienced his writing yet. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/4183213-made-in-america-an-informal-history-of-the-english-language](https://www.desertcart.us/products/4183213-made-in-america-an-informal-history-of-the-english-language) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-07-10*