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We have chosen books on general London history and guides from Amazon's vast selection of books on all subjects. If you know of a book not featured here, e-mail us and we will be happy to add it to this list.
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Recent releases:
London:
the Biography by Peter Ackroyd
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, 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 fourteen-year-old boy, only eighteen 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". |
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"Time
Out" London Guide
Revised and updated by a London-based team of writers and researchers, this guide is packed with up-to-the-minute listings information and informed critical comment on all that London has to offer. |
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City
Secrets: London by Robert Kahn
City Secrets: London is the third book in the intriguing City Secrets series, published by the Little Bookroom, an American sister company of Granta. The idea behind the books was to develop an anecdotal guide by London's writers, artists, historians and designers and to reveal favourite hidden corners as well as giving new insights on well-known places. |
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Secret
London Andrew Duncan
This text strips away the bricks, mortar and tarmac to uncover London's hidden landscape. Featuring hidden treasures such as the government's vast system of offices and tunnels under Whitehall, the book includes opening times, addresses, maps, photographs and anecdotes. |
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A
History of London by Stephen Inwood
Synopsis |
More London Books:
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25
Walks: in and Around London by Andrew McCloy
The walks contrast the pageant and history of the city centre with the country parks, open spaces and green hideaways around its fringe. |
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Collins
London by Tube
MAIN FEATURES This handy pocket sized spiral atlas is designed for those who travel around London using the Underground system. It is equally useful for commuters, business people, visitors and tourists. The product simplifies the process of using the London Underground by listing and indexing all the street names and places of interest in central London to their nearest tube station. These streets and places are then referenced to a map centred on the tube station. The mapped area around each tube station extends to one mile so that all locations shown are within half a mile of the station and therefore within easy walking distance. INCLUDES - Detailed maps showing streets and important places within walking distance of the nearest tube station - Exits from tube stations clearly shown - Tube stations colour coded to show connecting lines WHO PRODUCT IS AIMED AT Specifically aimed at visitors who plan to travel by tube, showing all the places which can be easily visited on foot from each of the Underground stations |
Country
Walks Around London by Geoff Garvey et al.
A collection of 25 walks based on the London Transport system. Located in a fairly even spread around the capital, alternative routes are given so that the length can be varied. The guide includes details of places to visit, history, how to get there from the city, and where to eat and drink. |
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Discovering
London Plaques by Derek Sumeray.
All London's commemorative plaques are recorded in this book with a brief history of the person or event noted on the plaques. Indexes refer to streets, postal code areas & vocations. |
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Edward
Wessex's Crown and Country by Edward Wessex.
In this text, HRH Prince Edward takes the reader on a journey through the history of London's royal connections and explains the architectural heritage of some of the world's most cherished royal landmarks. |
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Gilbert
and Sullivan's London by Andrew Goodman, Mike Leigh.
Moving around London, backwards and forwards in time, the author unfolds the story of Gilbert and Sullivan in the places where they lived and worked. In doing so the text recalls the grandeur of the city's entertainment palaces, its atmospheric nightlife, and its squalor and splendour. |
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Glory
Days: Western Region Steam Around London by Kevin McCormack.
McCormack recalls the period in the late 1950s and early 1960s when steam was still the dominant form of motive power on the Western Region but was recognised as being under threat. The book explores the varied Western Region operations during the last decades of steam operation on the main lines into London. In the GLORY DAYS series. |
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A Great Weekend In: London by De Haro Major international cities easily reachable by plane or train. Packed with recommendations for hotels, restaurants, cafis, shops and places to see, with addresses, opening times and descriptions. Easy to use area-by-area presentation. Sightseeing, restaurant and shopping recommendations all contained within the same spread - no need to cross reference. Detailed shopping guide with addresses and opening times - more than any other guide Extremely competitive price and very manageable pocket/handbag format. |
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The
London Encyclopaedia by Ben Weinreb, Christopher Hibbert (Editor)
A revised and updated reference book, comprised of 5000 entries, organized alphabetically and cross-referenced. Everything that is important in the history and culture of London is documented, from its first settlement to the present day. |
London
and North Western Railway by M.C. Reed
An illustrated history of the London and North Western Railway, which provides an insight into the workings of a company that at one time had the largest locomotive fleet, the greatest number of staff and the highest proportion of quadruple track. |
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London
Suburbs by Andrew Smart(Editor), Andrew Saint (Introduction)
From a Utopian ideal to the reality of the late 20th century, this book raises questions about the continuing attempt to link the city with the country. |
London Villages by John Wittich. | |
The Lost Rivers of London by Nicholas Barton | |
Ordnance
Survey Cycle Tours: Around London by Nick Cotton (Editor)
A guide to 14 on-road and ten off-road cycle tours in the London area, highlighted on Ordnance Survey Landranger mapping at a scale of 1:50,000, with directions alongside. Additional information includes an introduction to the locality of each route, places of interest, and refreshment stops. |
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Pathfinder:
In and Around London by Brian Conduit
A guide to 28 walks in the London area, within the M25 motorway. All walks contain directions, maps, and photographs and are graded according to difficulty. Includes information on public transport to reach the starting point and details of refreshment stops en route. |
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Walking
Village London : Original Walks Through 25 London Villages by Andrew
Duncan
Many of London's rural villages have disappeared into the urban sprawl, but some have retained their character and appearance. The best 22 of these are included in this walking guide. Each walk consists of a scene-setting historical and descriptive introduction, followed by a guided walk containing full directions and details on features encountered "en route". The walks are about two or three miles long and take on average a couple of hours. Each entry has its own map showing the route of the walk, landmarks, places of interest described in the text, places to eat and drink, and locations of public toilets. Listings at the back of the book give opening times of churches and other buildings, and in the case of museums and historic houses, brief descriptions of contents. |