London: A Short History
A Short History
Published on 9. June 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
176 pages
978-0-7538-2027-8 (ISBN)
Description
'Engaging ... As each era superimposes itself on the ones before, he conjures up the vanished human history, hidden like the rivers flowing beneath, that is so much part of London's atmosphere' IRISH TIMES
'Tantalisingly excellent' ISLINGTON TRIBUNE
From Chaucer to Churchill, from Pepys to Dickens - the great figures from London's past all make their appearance in A. N. Wilson's affectionate and passionate account of one of the world's greatest cities.
Dramatic events are here too - from the Great Fire to the Blitz, from the Peasants' Revolt to Mosley's fascist rallies. But he also looks at the physical transformations of the city: the elegant squares and pleasure gardens of the 18th century; the prodigious expansion of the 19th century and the Railway Age. He moves through the First World War and the 'Big Bang' of the 1980s to celebrate the cosmopolitan nature of modern London while deploring the follies of recent urban planning.
'Tantalisingly excellent' ISLINGTON TRIBUNE
From Chaucer to Churchill, from Pepys to Dickens - the great figures from London's past all make their appearance in A. N. Wilson's affectionate and passionate account of one of the world's greatest cities.
Dramatic events are here too - from the Great Fire to the Blitz, from the Peasants' Revolt to Mosley's fascist rallies. But he also looks at the physical transformations of the city: the elegant squares and pleasure gardens of the 18th century; the prodigious expansion of the 19th century and the Railway Age. He moves through the First World War and the 'Big Bang' of the 1980s to celebrate the cosmopolitan nature of modern London while deploring the follies of recent urban planning.
Reviews / Votes
Wilson talks with passion and authority about architecture's effect on the populace * Independent on Sunday * What shines through is Wilson's love for the city and his anguish at what he sees as the missed opportunity of the post-war period * Mail on Sunday * A. N. Wilson's contribution is genuinely a short history, with the main text falling just shy of 150 pages, showing his customary lucidity and zest * Times Literary Supplement * His short history of the city ... offers a fresh and persuasive perspective ... With the same verve that we have come to expect from his newspaper columns, Wilson shows us how London has "entered a phase which is completely new" ... Wilson's history ... captures some of the city's energy, which crackles across its pages -- Alastair Sooke * Catholic Herald * Engaging ... As each era superimposes itself on the ones before, he conjures up the vanished human history, hidden like the rivers flowing beneath, that is so much part of London's atmosphere * Irish Times * In his analysis of contemporary London, he elegantly skips from property prices to shopping ... This is a history of London even for people who don't readily venture into history or London * Glasgow Herald * Tantalisingly excellent * Islington Tribune * If you can't face Ackroyd's epic biography of the capital, then this shorter version will be ideal. It's manageable, fascinating and impressively wide-ranging for its size, and doesn't skimp on anecdote * LIVING HISTORY *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Illustrations
16
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
211 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7538-2027-8 (9780753820278)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Andrew Norman Wilson was born in Staffordshire in 1950 and educated at Rugby and New College, Oxford. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he holds a prominent position in the world of literature and journalism. His biographies include the lives of Sir Walter Scott (John Llewellyn Rhys Prize), Tolstoy (Whitbread Award for Biography), C. S. Lewis, Hilaire Belloc and Jesus. His bestselling and highly acclaimed portrait of an age, THE VICTORIANS, was published in 2002. He is also a celebrated novelist and the author of a short history of London. For many years he has lived in north London.