The Little Book of London is a funny, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium full of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no-one will want to be without. London's looniest laws, its most eccentric inhabitants, the realities of being royal and literally hundreds of wacky facts about the world's greatest city combine to make it required reading for visitors and locals alike.
The Little Book of London
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Amazon Review
Those of us who live in London and love the city (despite all its manifold faults) often have our own list of clandestine destinations, secrets and interesting facts about the capital -- which we’re happy to show off to people not lucky enough to live here. But however well you think you know London, the chances are good that that David Long's The Little Book of London will enlarge your storehouse of knowledge. The quirky facts here are delightfully arcane -- such as the fact that the guns of HMS Belfast, moored on the Thames near Tower Bridge, are targeted at Barnet and, if fired, would destroy Scratchwood Services on the M1. Or the fact that the first parking meters were installed in Mayfair with a charge of a shilling (enough to keep parking attendants at bay for an hour -- the same amount today would buy you 45 seconds). In fact, it is often the wonderful historical nuggets here that are the most entertaining, even the grisly ones (such as the watchmaker who threw himself off the Whispering Gallery in St Paul's Cathedral in 1856, or the man who took a similar dive from the North Tower of the Crystal Palace 12 years later). Such items are crammed into the nearly 200 pages of this eccentric book, so if you are seeking bizarre facts about the railways, the Royal family, theatres or the number of rock stars who have popped their clogs in London, it's all here. And did you know that when Conan Doyle installed Sherlock Holmes in 221b Baker Street, the street numbering ran no further than 85? (That's the trouble with this book – you can't resist quoting it!) --Barry Forshaw
Review
'Long has unearthed enough information, trivia, news and history
to entertain
and entrance the reader for a long time....Endless fun' -- Travel Special, Publishing News, July 2007
`A coruscating compendium of wacky facts, The Little Book of
London from David Long may be little in size
but it's big on information and my favourite trivia read this year.' -- Sue Barker, Publishing News, July 2007
`Quite an incredible wealth of information...an endorsement at
the highest level should be given to The Little Book of London.'
-- Robert Elms Show, BBC Radio London, 29 August 2007
to entertain
and entrance the reader for a long time....Endless fun' -- Travel Special, Publishing News, July 2007
`A coruscating compendium of wacky facts, The Little Book of
London from David Long may be little in size
but it's big on information and my favourite trivia read this year.' -- Sue Barker, Publishing News, July 2007
`Quite an incredible wealth of information...an endorsement at
the highest level should be given to The Little Book of London.'
-- Robert Elms Show, BBC Radio London, 29 August 2007
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Bought this for a non-reading friend new to London (from NY)- as it looked like an easy-dip-in-dip-out book. Then I dipped in, then I dipped in a bit more, then I read the whole thing through and decided to keep it myself so I'm back to buy another. Some really, REALLY extraordinary stuff in here, and lots of bizarre stories about people and places - all of it true, he says - together with some neat cartoons and a lot of laughs.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Definitely a browser rather than a traditional guide book, but still a real find for anyone with an interest in London with wealth of wacky or unexpected detail about both the modern and historic city, and all of it delivered with wit and panache.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Graber Dude
Format:Hardcover
Got two copies for Xmas, and laughed solidly until I reached the end. Maybe not the most USEFUL book on London, but certainly the funniest in a long while. Odd anecdotes, strange facts, extraordinary people and wild goings-on combine to paint an irresistable portraint of the greatest city on earth.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of trivia but more focused on Royal trivia
As some other reviewers have commented, I was expecting this book to cover different areas of London, with lots of trivia but it is more focused on Royal connections. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Stepas
4.0 out of 5 stars
You really don't know London until you have read this book.
Some really interesting and quirky facts about London. Learnt a lot and was interesting. Why was school never like this?
Published 1 month ago by Rebecca Kelly
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great little book
Great size book to keep in your bag while walking around London Town I found places I didn't know existed.
Published 3 months ago by Mrs. L. E. Robinson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fab
Full of interesting and quirky trivia about London. If you're a lover of useful (or useless) information this is the perfect book for you.
Published 3 months ago by Kim Watts
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Little Book Has A Lot Of Information
"The Little Book Of London" has a lot of little bits of information about London's history, so it was a great fit for me. You find yourself reading this book saying ... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Barbara D. Zambrana
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting
If, like me, you love trivia and little known fact this is a book for you. David Long has managed to find some obscure and interesting facts about a city that has had so much... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Stuart Budds
2.0 out of 5 stars
Average
This was a disappointment as we go to London quite often and were hoping for some extra snippits of information to aid us in our viewing of all the exciting parts we haven't seen... Read more
Published 4 months ago by bushrod
1.0 out of 5 stars
Unimpressed
I also bought this as Kindle's Daily Deal and I have read about a quarter of it. As I live in London I was expecting a book that would give me lots of interesting and fascinating... Read more
Published 5 months ago by bruven
3.0 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable read but ...
I wouldn't use this to settle any bets. At one point Long describes Edward VIII as the first bachelor to inherit the throne since William II, 850 years earlier. Seriously? Read more
Published 5 months ago by S. B. Kelly
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fun read - buy it
I've been away for about 30 years now, and when I go back I feel like a tourist.
This is a little book, that fills in some of the gaps and delivers snippets of knowledge... Read more
This is a little book, that fills in some of the gaps and delivers snippets of knowledge... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Ideas4Santa.com
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Britain & Ireland
- Books > History > Cultural History > London
- Books > History > Europe
- Books > History > World History
- Books > Reference > Fun Facts & Trivia > Trivia
- Books > Travel & Holiday > Atlases & Maps > Countries A-Z > United Kingdom > Cities & Towns > London
- Books > Travel & Holiday > Countries & Regions > United Kingdom > Regions > South & South East England > London, Greater London
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
