- Paperback: 848 pages
- Publisher: Anchor Books; Reprint edition (April 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0385497717
- ISBN-13: 978-0385497718
- Product Dimensions: 15.5 x 4.3 x 23.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,051,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
When the eminent novelist and biographer Peter Ackroyd finished writing London: The Biography, he almost immediately had a heart attack, such was the effort of his 800-page work about the "human body" that is this most fascinating of cities. And not just any human body either, but "envisaged in the form of a young man with his arms outstretched in a gesture of liberation... it embodies the energy and exaltation of a city continually beating in great waves of progress and of confidence."
Probably there is no one better placed than Ackroyd--the author of mammoth lives of Dickens and Blake, and novels such as Hawksmoor and Dan Leno and the Lime House Golem which set singular characters against the backdrop of a city constantly shifting in time--to write such a rich, sinewy account of "Infinite London".
Ackroyd's London is no mere chronology. Its chapters take on such varied themes as drinking, sex, childhood, poverty, crime and punishment, sewage, food, pestilence and fire, immigration, maps, theatre and war. We learn that gin was "the demon of London for half a century", and that "it has been estimated that in the 1740s and 1750s there were 17,000 'gin-houses'." Fleet Street was an area known for its "violent delights" where "a 14-year-old boy, only 18 inches high, was to be seen in 1702 at a grocer's shop called the Eagle and Child by Shoe Lane." By the mid 19th century "London had become known as the greatest city on earth." By 1939 "one in five of the British population had become a Londoner."
Though London's chapters vary meaning that it can be dipped into at random, Ackroyd is employing a skilful and continuous theme throughout, which constantly links past and present--the similarities of children's games in Lambeth in 1910 and 1999; the obsession with time--"in 21st-century London time rushes forward and is everywhere apparent", while in 18th-century London the church clock of Newgate "regulated the times of hanging." Above all, he insists that the "dark secret life" of the metropolis is as relevant today as it was in perhaps its most appropriate period, Victorian London.
Again and again Ackroyd returns to the image of London as a living organism, hence his use of the word "biography" in the title. At once awed by and intimate with this "ubiquitous" city, he stresses that "it can be located nowhere in particular... its circumference is everywhere." –-Catherine Taylor --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Review
`It's this decade's finest work of non-fiction' --The Word
"cleverly weaves through centuries of history to reveal to us the hundreds of different cities within a city"
--The Times
`The definitive history of London... a must read for anyone interested in the subject' --Express --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
"cleverly weaves through centuries of history to reveal to us the hundreds of different cities within a city"
--The Times
`The definitive history of London... a must read for anyone interested in the subject' --Express --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
83 of 86 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As a history of London, Ackroyd's shifting perspective of the Metropolis lays itself open to criticism from the professional historian. Instead of nailing the City down to a time-line, Ackroyd keeps his structure fluid, his perspective shifting in time and place like the City itself. Grouping his mass of material under headings as diverse as "weather", "murder", "children" etc. allows him to take us back and forth in time within the scope of each chapter. It is the ideal format for his portrait of London as a timeless entity, that encompasses past , present and future and displays each unceasingly. If you like your history caught on the wing, graphic and alive, then I can recommend this book. Peter Ackroyd is more poet than historian, but to capture the feel of a city and its people, to make you smell the medieval, victorian and restoration streets, the poet is the man for the job. He shows us the histories of the hooligan and the aristocrat, bank clerk and psychopath, all detailed with compassion and style. His facts are anecdotal and fascinating, the use of four-letter words down the centuries, where you could get a cheap dinner 300 years ago and who you were likely to meet. An academic history of London it isnt, as a tour of London its the best you'll get.
57 of 65 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
When I first encountered this [book], my first thoughts were, "Why would anyone want to write, let alone read a book about a city, it's hardly rivetting is it, especially one as long as this!" Having been lent this [book] by a friend who I know has impeccible taste in book, and with a lot of persuation by him about good tis book was, I finally decided that I would give the few pages a whirl, and see how it went. About two hundred pages later, and steaming through it, I have to say I was hooked. This [book] was the most unusual, and yet fascinting book I think I have ever read. Through this [book] the history and development of London is charted. This is so well written that the city itself develops as something of a character, and I soon began to feel emotions towards it just as I would with a character in any other good novel. I must say, to achieve this with a landmark is quite a feat! I would recommend this book, as it really is a good read, however it does take some time to get through as it is an extremely long, albeit powerful [book]. All in all, a Capital [book]!
54 of 62 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a wonderful book. A really compelling read, and full of fascinating information. It's not often that a 600+ page book can keep me turning the pages, reading it pretty much from cover to cover, but this one did.
Having read it, I now find that when I'm in London, I look at the city in a different way - Ackroyd sheds so much light on the city's history and character.
Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A sprawling mess
Had tried The Thames by Ackroyd years ago but did not get far. That was a while ago. Tried London: the biography this week and felt the same. Read more
Published 2 months ago by dbass51
easy reading
I took this book with me on holiday and all who saw me reading such a big book must have thought me real clever. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. I. V. Collett
Everything one wants to know about the history of London
Everything one wants to know about the history of London, the reason of the existence of some names or habits, a detailed and introspective analysis of the city as if it were a... Read more
Published 8 months ago by AFontana
great packaging
due to it being second hand was pleased with its condition. The packaging was great too. Overall happy with the purchase and delivery time was good.
Published 8 months ago by Debh
the definitive book of london
I don't think there is another book on london that covers so much ground & so much history . Easy to read & engaging , the book covers all sorts of curious facts along with well... Read more
Published 8 months ago by D. S. Sample
Ackroyd's London
There is no better guide to London than Peter Ackroyd; he has written many books based in and on London, presented television programmes from and on London and lives in the city. Read more
Published 9 months ago by RR Waller
Like being lost in a London fog with an over-excited guide
I tried, I really did.
I didn't want this to be a straightforward chronological account, there are plenty of those to choose from. Read more
I didn't want this to be a straightforward chronological account, there are plenty of those to choose from. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Bookwoman
Fascinating exploration of London's history
Finally finished reading this last night ... all 800 pages. The size of this book can be daunting - but if you stick with it, it's easily one of the best books you'll read on the... Read more
Published 14 months ago by WJ FOX
Spoiled by the author's desire to show off his knowledge of the...
Certainly not an easy read. Written more for the benefit of academics and the likes of Brian Sewell rather than mere mortals who just happen to love history. Read more
Published 14 months ago by KenB
London: The Biography
I am unsure whether Ackroyd is a very insightful novelist who has turned to history and seen it from an unusual angle, or a historian who has taken off into the fantastic plane of... Read more
Published 15 months ago by a flynn
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