Every time Bill Bryson walks out the door, memorable travel literature threatens to break out. This time in Australia. His previous excursion along the Appalachian Trail resulted in the sublime national bestseller A Walk in the Woods. In A Sunburned Country is his report on what he found in an entirely different place: Australia, the country that doubles as a continent, and a place with the friendliest inhabitants, the hottest, driest weather, and the most peculiar and lethal wildlife to be found on the planet. The result is a deliciously funny, fact-filled, and adventurous performance by a writer who combines humor, wonder, and unflagging curiousity. Despite the fact that Australia harbors more things that can kill you in extremely nasty ways than anywhere else, including sharks, crocodiles, snakes, even riptides and deserts, Bill Bryson adores the place, and he takes his readers on a rollicking ride far beyond that beaten tourist path. Wherever he goes he finds Australians who are cheerful, extroverted, and unfailingly obliging, and these beaming products of land with clean, safe cities, cold beer, and constant sunshine fill the pages of this wonderful book. Australia is an immense and fortunate land, and it has found in Bill Bryson its perfect guide.

每次比尔-布赖森走出门，令人难忘的旅行文学就有可能爆发。这次是在澳大利亚。他之前沿着阿巴拉契亚山径的旅行产生了崇高的全国畅销书《林中漫步》。在《被太阳灼伤的国家》中，他报告了他在一个完全不同的地方发现的东西。澳大利亚是一个兼有大陆性质的国家，是一个拥有最友好的居民、最炎热、最干燥的天气和地球上最奇特、最致命的野生动物的地方。其结果是一位集幽默、惊奇和不懈的好奇心于一身的作家所做的美味的、充满事实的和冒险的表演。尽管澳大利亚拥有比其他地方更多的能以极其恶劣的方式杀死你的东西，包括鲨鱼、鳄鱼、蛇，甚至是激流和沙漠，但比尔-布莱森还是很喜欢这个地方，他带着他的读者一路狂欢，远远超出了那条被打败的旅游路线。无论他走到哪里，他都会发现澳大利亚人开朗、外向，而且总是乐于助人，而这些来自干净、安全的城市、冰凉的啤酒和持续的阳光的产品，充满了这本精彩的书的页面。澳大利亚是一片巨大而幸运的土地，它在比尔-布赖森身上找到了完美的指南。