Bryson's best for England.

Byline: ANTHONY BARNES

A BOOK by a US author best sums up England's identity and state of the nation in the 21st century, a survey reveals.

Notes From A Small Island, by Iowa-born Bill Bryson, was chosen after months of voting in a poll for World Book Day. Also shortlisted were George Orwell's 1984 and George Monbiot's Captive State.

Bryson, who lived in the UK for 20 years, said: "I'm both grateful and surprised to receive this honour. We are just about to move back there so it's especially pleasing my affection for the country has been recognised now."

Notes From A Small Island gives an outsider's view on a last trip around Britain before returning home, analysing what he loves about the country:

He wrote: "Here is a country that fought and won a noble war, dismantled a mighty empire in a generally benign and enlightened way, created a far-seeing welfare state - in short, did nearly everything right - and then spent the rest of the century looking on itself as a chronic failure."

CAPTION(S):

POLL: Bryson