Women's London: A Tour Guide to Great Lives

Description

Women's London is the only guidebook that focuses on the women who have shaped London through the centuries and the legacy they have left behind. This new book provides the perfect opportunity to explore sights, statues, plaques and buildings associated with famous and some not so famous women who have left their mark on London's heritage, culture and society. Their stories include scientists and suffragettes, reformers and royals, military and medical pioneers, authors and artists, fashion and female firsts ... and more. The author, a popular London tour guide and lecturer, specialises in women's history and has provided a series of original self-guided walking tours taking you to historic areas where important women lived, worked and are commemorated. Illustrated with new full-colour photography and specially commissioned maps, Women's London will inspire visitors and Londoners alike to discover how much London owes to women.

Rachel Kolsky is a prize-winning London Blue Badge Guide, who runs Go London Tours. Her wide range of walks and visits specialize in exploring Jewish heritage, discovering women's history and uncovering the human stories behind London's buildings.

A book that's a most novel idea! -- "The Entertainment Report" Another London-centric travel guide from Kolsky (owner of Go London Tours; Jewish London) emphasizes the contributions and historic reminders of London's most influential women. The guide begins with nine walking tours organized by neighborhood to "walk in their footsteps"; each includes a map, distance and duration, nearby public transportation, recommended dining, and full wheelchair access unless noted. These comprise the bulk of this slim volume and convey more about neighborhood feel rather than facilitate detailed individual historical research. The latter third of the guide is thematic, such as featuring statues in "Women on a Pedestal." Only a few personages are explored in depth throughout, such as Mary Wollstonecraft, who gets three pages against the bulk of entries only garnering a paragraph. Breadth of coverage is achieved to the exclusion of specificity. Kolsky's research certainly yields a serviceable guide to an underserved tourism segment, but most readers will likely crave additional color photos and more comprehensive information. Clear chapters, maps, and a decent index are user-friendly. Even educated readers will discover how much they don't know about women's history. -- "Library Journal" Every page of this beautiful, bountiful book brings a new revelation. It's that rare breed of guide book that you'll want to read cover to cover, preferably while out on the streets tracking down the locations. We can't recommend it highly enough. -- "The Londonist" From the East End to royalty, from fashion, art and culture to medicine, archaeology and politics, the guide whisks readers around the capital to discover the less well-known female figures who've contributed to the capital's history. -- "The Jewish Chronicle" If you're planning a trip across the Pond anytime soon (or if you want to indulge in a little armchair travel) you'll want to pack this guidebook to London, which offers self-guided tours to places where key women--artists, doctors, reformers, royals, authors, and more--lived, worked, and are commemorated. -- "Book Riot" Kolsky does not shy away from difficult history: she looks for example at the disputes within the Suffragist movement, between socialists and pacifists on the one hand who opposed the First World War, and those feminists who threw their weight behind "King and Country". And there is much to celebrate and inspire, from Diane Abbot becoming the first black female MP in 1987 to the first female police officer back in 1919. -- "Shoutout" Kolsky's guidebook is packed with information to fascinate and inspire. -- "Mature Times" Profusely illustrated, expertly organized and presented, an inherently fascinating and informative reade from cover to cover, Women's London is an ideal reference and resource for planning sightseeing trips and tours of the great city of London with a unique and special reference to the role women have played in its formation. -- "Midwest Book Review" With self-guided walking tours, specially commissioned maps and fascinating insights, the book is handy for exploring London on foot and equally engaging for the armchair reader. -- "Camden New Journal" Women's London: A Tour Guide to Great Lives will have you seeing London in a new light and celebrating women! -- "Trailblazergirl.com" An essential purchase across the consumer, public, and academic market segments owing to its singular scope and acceptable execution. -- "Library Journal"