h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi, really enjoyed your article - I'm not likely to encounter a bear in Ireland, but if one should escape from a zoo then I'll know what to do! I'm just reading Bill Bryson's book "A Walk in the Woods" where he hikes the Appalachian Trail in America. He has some very humourous sections on his fears of encountering bears and I think he would have appreciated reading your article before he set off!

That is one of my favorite travel books! I love Bryson's stuff, and his descriptions of the characters he runs into on the AT are priceless--as are his scary wildlife encounters. Even better, and scarier are those in his travelogue of Australia "In A Sunburned Country". You have to read the stories about the box jellyfish if you ever get blase about bears.

My mother lives in the heart of grizzly bear country here in Montana and I got an e-mail this morning. In it she mentions that her neighbor (said neighbor lives about a mile down the road) was chased up onto his porch yesterday by two grizzlies! He's okay, just extremely shaken up.

Gosh! That will teach your neighbour not to walk around with a Snickers sticking out of his back pocket. I have not heard of Bryson's book "In A Sunburned Country"...I can check Amazon to be sure, but off the top of your head is that the American title for "Down Under" or is it a different book? Cheers...

Hmmmm...I don't think so. The only title I have ever seen is that one, and he specifically makes reference to it in his intro in an attempt to head off letters of complaint from outraged Aussies because it is a misquote of a favorite Australian poem.