London: A Traveller's Reader

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title London: A Traveller's Reader
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Peter Ackroyd
By (author) Thomas Wright
Edited by Peter Ackroyd
Edited by Thomas Wright
SeriesA Traveller's Companion
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:464
Dimensions(mm): Height 199,Width 133
Category/GenreTravel and holiday guides
ISBN/Barcode 9781472141651
ClassificationsDewey:914.21048612
Audience
General

Publishing Details

Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Imprint Robinson
Publication Date 24 May 2018
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Loved and hated in equal measure, London was for centuries the world's greatest city. Its streets, teeming with history, have always worn a variety of influences, reflecting the diverse crowds who have walked them. Its citizens have witnessed everything from pilgrimages, celebrations, acts of heroism and moments of religious contemplation to riots, executions, grisly murders and disastrous plagues and fires. Drawing on letters, diaries and memoirs of London's most interesting inhabitants and visitors, this anthology compiled by acclaimed historian Thomas Wright and with an introduction by Peter Ackroyd tells the story of the city from its earliest years. Here you will find John Evelyn's famous account of the Great Fire in 1666, Dickens's brilliant evocation of the Gordon Riots of 1780, an eyewitness description of the execution of Charles I, and Churchill's recollections of the Blitz. There are also less familiar, though no less vivid, excerpts, which provide an entertaining, sometimes risque glimpse into the life, customs and morals of this great city.

Author Biography

Peter Ackroyd (Author) Peter Ackroyd, CBE, novelist, critic and biographer, formerly literary editor of the Spectator and chief non-fiction reviewer for the Times, has won numerous literary awards. His London: The Biography (2000) took the South Bank Show Annual Award for Literature. Thomas Wright (Author) Thomas Wright, historian, writer and researcher, was editor for Peter Ackroyd's London: The Biography.

Reviews

London . . . if you want to know it better . . . Ackroyd is your indispensable companion. - Observer