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Product Description
London has for most of 2,000 years been the hub of the political, economic, and cultural life of Britain. No other world city has held such a dominant national position for so long. This new study, by the doyen of London historians, describes London's diverse past, from its origins as a Roman settlement at the first bridging of the Thames to the world-class metropolis it is today. It provides a vivid account of a city which was the `deere sweete' place which Chaucer loved more than any other city on earth, which was for Dickens his `magic lantern', and to Keats `a great sea', howling for more wrecks. It is also a story of much contrast and remarkable resilience; through great fires and pestilence, civil war, and the Blitz, London has rebuilt and reinvented itself for each generation.
About the Author
General editor of the multi-volume Survey of London 1954-1982
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First Sentence
In the parish church of St Mary at Taunton in Somerset there stands a full-length effigy of Robert Gray, a native of that town and a Citizen and Merchant Taylor of London, where he died in 1638, possessed of a considerable fortune. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
In the parish church of St Mary at Taunton in Somerset there stands a full-length effigy of Robert Gray, a native of that town and a Citizen and Merchant Taylor of London, where he died in 1638, possessed of a considerable fortune. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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3 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Location is everything
2 July 2001
Format:Paperback
How else to explain how the ancient Roman market village of Londinium, no more than 1 square mile in size at its maximum, eventually came to be one of the major finance, insurance, publishing, and cultural centers in the world. LONDON: A HISTORY is just that, tracing the development of the city from the Romans through the millennia to today. The author even offers his views as to what the future holds for London. From someone who says that of all the cities founded by the Romans, "only Paris, Constantinople (Istanbul) and Rome can stand comparison with London", you can therefore expect that he sees a fairly bright future.
Wheras the history of London can hardly be matched by other cities, even in modern times the city stands up favorably. In making modern comparisons with US cities such as Washington DC and New York, the author points out, that nothwithstanding the lack of a skyscraper skyline like the Big Apple, and the monuments of the nations capital, London still has economic and cultural clout to match these cities.
This book is written by a Londoner and one who obviously loves his city and for that we should be glad because it makes for some very interesting insights. The author is also an academic and for that we suffer a bit as his writing style is very dry. The book however is so full of what is worth knowing about all aspects of London life and culture, that it's certainly worth plowing through.
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Somewhat dry.
15 Feb 2000
Format:Hardcover
Interesting in a dry and scholarly way. The author assumes you already know the history of England so he doesn't give much explanation about who's on the throne, or about events taking place. He only explains how they affected life in London. Which is all right; just be prepared. I read this book in conjunction with Rutherfurd's London, and the two together gave me a good picture of the city.
Concise, One Volume History of London in the Annales Style
19 Oct 2008
Format:Paperback
This is a concise, one volume history of the city of London, very much in the "Annales" school of history. What is "annales" mean in the context of history:
[R]elegated the sensational to the sidelines and was reluctant to give a simple accounting of events, but strived on the contrary to pose and solve problems and, neglecting surface disturbances, to observe the long and medium-term evolution of economy, society and civilization.
Basically, it's history without people. The Annales approach focuses on concrete observations about material culture/geography/archaeology and foregoes the "great men" approach and very much has a lesser opinion of intellectual history based on documents.
I appreciate the approach and the conciseness of the book, but in my opinion the most interesting part of london involves the intellectual history and the personalities, so over all the book was a bit of a mixed bag in terms of my satisfaction. This is a book meant for the general reader who is familiar with the general sweep of English history.
[R]elegated the sensational to the sidelines and was reluctant to give a simple accounting of events, but strived on the contrary to pose and solve problems and, neglecting surface disturbances, to observe the long and medium-term evolution of economy, society and civilization.
Basically, it's history without people. The Annales approach focuses on concrete observations about material culture/geography/archaeology and foregoes the "great men" approach and very much has a lesser opinion of intellectual history based on documents.
I appreciate the approach and the conciseness of the book, but in my opinion the most interesting part of london involves the intellectual history and the personalities, so over all the book was a bit of a mixed bag in terms of my satisfaction. This is a book meant for the general reader who is familiar with the general sweep of English history.
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