Following in the bestselling footsteps of the Strangest series, London is now available in a beautiful gift format - the perfect present for the London obsessive in the family! This fascinating volume is packed with amazing things you didn't know about the capital, such as the fact that it's still forbidden to run, carry an umbrella or whistle in Burlington Arcade. Did you also know, for example, that there is a tiny, working jail cell that looks like a fat lamppost, situated at the southeast corner of Trafalgar Square, that still has a direct phone link to Scotland Yard? Or indeed, that the entrance to Buckingham Palace that faces down the Mall is actually the back door, not the front? Whether you're a visitor to the capital, a dailuy commuter or one its 7.5 million inhabitants, this book is an alternative, and often bonkers, guide to the city. Word count: 45,000
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About the Author
Tom Quinn is a journalist, juggler, orange peel collector and expert on Victorian fish painters, who spends much of his time travelling round Britain looking for quirky subjects to write about. He has written five titles in the best-selling Strangest series. Tom also writes occasional obituaries for The Times and edits Country Business magazine.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Scotland Yard is famous throughout the world but few people wonder why a police station in central London should have been given this curious name. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Scotland Yard is famous throughout the world but few people wonder why a police station in central London should have been given this curious name. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
London's Strangest Tales
London's Strangest Tales is a fantastic book full of quirky little facts about London. Being a Londoner myself, I found it endearing and loved hearing things about places I am familiar with and go to often. I definitely think I will plan a day going around London to see if I can spot the hidden landmarks and pieces of our history that still survive today.
London's Strangest Tales is a fantastic book full of quirky little facts about London. Being a Londoner myself, I found it endearing and loved hearing things about places I am familiar with and go to often. I definitely think I will plan a day going around London to see if I can spot the hidden landmarks and pieces of our history that still survive today.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Bernie
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this as a gift. I see this book at a friends house and got myself one some time ago. I leave it on the coffee table and whenever I have guests someone always picks it up and it always starts a conversation. I have lived in London my whole life and found it really interesting, suprising and a perfect book to dip in and out of.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By ShiDaDao Ph.D
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
This book is a delightful read. Its full title is - 'For Your Reading Pleasure, London's Strangest Tales, Extraordinary But True Stories.' It forms a volume in the 'Strangest' series also published by Portico. The author - Tom Quinn - has compiled chapters that span a thousand years of London history. The chapters work forward in chronological order, starting from 950 CE and culminating in 2007.
The 2007 paperback edition contains 378 numbered pages, and is comprised of an Introduction and 178 short chapters. Each chapter is comprised of 1 to 3 pages and covers an interesting and important aspect of the history of London. As a book, the combined effect of the many chapters is that a developmental history is presented to the reader in snap-shot format that is surprising coherent and detailed. Quinn's style of writing is highly engaging, intelligent, insightful, and humourous. An examples of chapters are as follows:
Why Part of Scotland is in London (950)
Put Out Your Fire (1066)
Human Lavatory (1190)
The Queen's Bosom on Show((1597)
Cockney Maori Chief (1776)
Eighteenth-Century Viagra (1779)
Trains Only for the Dead (1854)
How Crime Became Art (1995)
The short chapter presentation often disguises the fact that this is a work of great research that has probably involved the author visiting many of the buildings, open spaces, strange objects, monuments, and graveyards that he writes about. The writing style takes the reader through the streets of London within a time-travelling extravaganza!
The 2007 paperback edition contains 378 numbered pages, and is comprised of an Introduction and 178 short chapters. Each chapter is comprised of 1 to 3 pages and covers an interesting and important aspect of the history of London. As a book, the combined effect of the many chapters is that a developmental history is presented to the reader in snap-shot format that is surprising coherent and detailed. Quinn's style of writing is highly engaging, intelligent, insightful, and humourous. An examples of chapters are as follows:
Why Part of Scotland is in London (950)
Put Out Your Fire (1066)
Human Lavatory (1190)
The Queen's Bosom on Show((1597)
Cockney Maori Chief (1776)
Eighteenth-Century Viagra (1779)
Trains Only for the Dead (1854)
How Crime Became Art (1995)
The short chapter presentation often disguises the fact that this is a work of great research that has probably involved the author visiting many of the buildings, open spaces, strange objects, monuments, and graveyards that he writes about. The writing style takes the reader through the streets of London within a time-travelling extravaganza!
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great to dip into
This is a great book to dip into whenever you have a few minutes to spare. All of the tales are very brief (about 2-3 pages at most) and provide some interesting facts. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Kel2011
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great read for those interested in London
A great read and you definitely pick up some very interesting facts about London throughout the years. Read more
Published 1 month ago by ChristaK
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book London Workers
This book is fantastic, I was bought it as a gift and haven't put it down since. Each tale is no more than 3 pages with most being 2 which makes it a great book for the commute... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Dave
4.0 out of 5 stars
Curious facts in a storytelling style
This is a interesting read that you can pick up at bedtime and read a few of its short tales. It has a few repetitive themes, such as how the planners in the 60s destroyed more of... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mike
4.0 out of 5 stars
genuinely interesting tales
A great dip in and out book of genuinely interesting tales spanning London's past and present. Fascinating and informative even for an Essex lad like me!
Published 14 months ago by Lord Anon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not Just The Usual Information
London's Strangest Tales is something different, This book arrived in good time, in great condition and for a great price, This seller is very reliable - Thank You!
Published 15 months ago by Barbara D. Zambrana
5.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting read
A must read for Londoners and visitors who are interested in this topic as it is something we do not hear.... Would recommend to families and friends
Published 15 months ago by Mrs. H. A. Owen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very fascinating read
I originally saw this book for sale in the National Gallery; bought a copy for my Singaporean friend and decided to get a copy myself. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Helga Charman
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Guide through the city
What a fun - you take it with you on your trip through London and you'll look at the places with different eyes. Makes you smile, makes you shiver ... makes you wonder.
Published 16 months ago by A.M.M.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read, hidden London revealed!
I bought this book as a Londoner separated from the capital for a few years. It's amusing and informing, so much history and yet I wasn't bored once! Read more
Published 18 months ago by S. Brown
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