Written by one of the most celebrated of writers inseparable from the city, "The London Scene" is an invaluable gem in the repertoir of literature associated with London. There is a vivacity in its contemplation, exercised via withdrawn observation, of the city that is the centre of the English literary world and those that go on in it. Yet these essays sport an unmistakeable familiarity with their subjects that can only be issued from a veteran Londoner the like of Virginia Woolf.
The six essays that make up "The London Scene" are apparently published together for the first time in this edition. The book has a light modern feel; the text is set with generous breating space in a primarily white volume with garnishings of caricatur-ish ink drawings that illustrate the essays. An anonymous short piece explaining the writing and original publication of these essays and an index are appended at the end. Clever - not witty - in its judgement, entertaining - not humorous - in its wryness, and, to quote the appraisal from the book, "[d]isplaying Woolf's unique ability to anatomise and refresh our view with the familiar", this conveniently slim volume is healthy mental nourishment to waft away those weary whiles spent worn, wasted in London's public transport network.