. >> host: joining us on booktv to preview his upcoming new book, best selling author bill bryson. one summer america 1927 is the name of the book. mr. bryson, why 1927? >> well, i just stumbled into it really. i had always been fascinated by the fact that babe ruth hit 60 home runs and charles lend burg flew the public in the same summer. i had it in mind that that in itself made it an interesting summer. iconic events were happening in exact parallel, and i just had it in mind maybe it would be interesting to try and do a dual biography of these two guys with the their ty arc sort of meeting in 1927. but then when i began looking into what else happened in the summer, i found those were only two tiny parts of a much greater -- there was all kinds of other stuff happening in that summer. you had the great mississippi flood which have the biggest natural disaster in american history. you had, you had al capone, the beginning of the end of al capone, the downfall and, indeed, of prohibition, prohibition was coming to an end. you had they started building mount rushmore. calvin cooli

bill bryson was describing, you know he grew up here and also lived in the u.k. he described summer in the u.k. and of course it's covered by this gray cloud almost the entire summer this gray color overhead but instead of saying, it's gray overhead the entire time he said it was like living inside tupperware. anyway he just has this marvelous ability to blend research and fact with fun and humor. let's go you're watching booktv on c-span2 on our guests this month on "in depth" is author mary roach the author of five nonfiction books beginning with "stiff" the curious lives of human cadavers which came out in 2003, "spook" came out in 2005 science tackles the afterlife, "bonk" the curious coupling of science and sex in 2008 "packing for mars" the curious science of life in the void in 2010 and busier "gulp" adventure on the alimentary canal. (202)585-3880 in the eastern central timezone 585381 and those who knew -- of u.n. mountain pacific facebook twitter e-mail also available as well. this facebook comment comes from mora. mary i'm a recent medical school grad

. >> host: you mentioned in favorite books, bill bryson. >> guest: bill bryson -- the ability to seamlessly blend really fascinating information with humor, no one does it better. on my best days, reaching as far as i can, i can maybe graze the him of his clean knows, whatever he is wearing. he is just a tremendous writer. never a steal turn of phrase. here's an example. bill bryceson was describing -- he is grown up here in and also lived in the uk, and he described summer in the uk. of course it's covered by this gray clouds, and almost the entire summer, this gray color, and instead of saying, it's gray overhead the entire time, he say, it was like living inside tupperware. so, anyway, he just has this marvelous ability to blend research and fact with fun and humor. >> host: you're watching booktv on c-span 2, our guest is author mary roach, the awe for thereof fine nonfiction books beginning with "stiff," 2003. "spook," 2005, science tackles the afterlife. "bonk" the curious coupling of science and sex, packing for mars, the curious science of life in the void, 2010, and this year, "gul

. >> host: you mentioned him and bill bryson a couple times. why? the ability to seamlessly blended fascinating information with humor, no one does it better. it is a tremendous writer and never a field turn of phrase. sometimes it is just an example. the bill was describing here and in the u.k. of course it is covered by this cloud of gray color but instead of saying it's a great overhead he said it was like living inside of tupperware sell any mechem he just has a marvelous ability to blend research and fact with fun and humor. >> host: our guest is author mary lou roach with a curious lives of the human cadaver and the after life and the curious what coupling troubling to the katella calling for mars and life of the blade when and of the elementary canal. for those of you in the mountain and pacific plater, facebook come e-mail, also available as well and this facebook comment comes mary i am a recent graduate and i read before and after starting school and can't describe how to change my perspective on the human body. have you ever thought about

. >> joining us on booktv to preview his upcoming new book, bill bryson.ne summer america, 1927, the name of the book. why 1927? >> guest: i had always been fascinated by the fact that charles lintberg flew in the atlantic and that made it an interesting summer. the events happening in exact parallel and i had in mind maybe it would be interesting to try to do a dual biography of these identifies and the meeting in the summer of 1927. then when i began looking into what else happened in the summer of 1927, i found that those were only just two tiny parts of much greater arc. there were other stuff happening. the great mississippi flood, the largest natural disaster in american history. you had al capone beginning of the end of al capone and the end of prohibition, the information that prohibition was coming to an end. they started building mount rushmoore, kalin coolidge decided he didn't want to run for president. he could have won in a landslide but decided not do it. the reason is misty -- mystifying. henry afford had the madid to build an american city