I lived in London for six months and loved Notes from a Small Planet. I was warned that A Walk in the Woods was not nearly as good. Well it is not as funny--but I think it is a much better book. Indeed I rate A Walk in the Woods a classic. I was prepared to dislike it but was enthralled. I am an avid backpacker and hiker and nutty outdoors type. I think that Bryson's book is probably the best hiking/outdoors/nature book that I have read, and I've read dozens of them. I think that he is funnier and deeper than Farley Mowat. Bryson is a master of ideas and a master of English prose (my one tiny complaint is that he overuses the words "arresting" and "arrestingly" when he cannot think of another term--as in "we faced an arrestingly steep cliff"). This book is a story of people, America, and nature as we confront it today. The trail really only plays a minor role. Those who complain that he did hike the entire trail are off-base. Bryson is a writer, genius, observer, philosopher not a hiker. If you want a hiking guide, read the official guide books. If you want insight, entertainment, depth, wit, and brilliance, read Bryson.