London History

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London: The Biography London is a living organism, with its own laws of growth and change, so his London is a biography, not just a history. It differs from other histories, too, in the range and diversity of its contents. The book is not a chronological record. Chapters on the history of light, the history of childhood and the history of suicide, the history of Cockney speech and the history of drink.

Secret London (Globetrotter Walking Guides) Secret London unlocks the cities most fascinating secrets, both above and below ground. Historian Andrew Duncan strips away bricks, mortar and tarmac to uncover parts of the capital that even born-and-bred Londoners may never have seen. Below ground, he guides readers through abandoned Underground stations, to Clerkenwell's amazing network of subterranean prison cells. Above ground, he leads the way through narrow alleyways and cobbled mews, revealing unexpected treasures and describing rarely seen interiors and special collections. Opening times and addresses, detailed route maps and evocative photos complement the text.

London: A Social History London History. Describes London's social life, its growth and the experiences of living in the city. With the redevelopment of Docklands and much of the East End, London is now beginning to experience a transformation comparable in scale to those produced by the building of the West End or the coming of the railways in earlier centuries.

Newgate: London's Prototype of Hell London History. The hellish noise, the roaring, swelling and clamour, the stench and nastiness, an emblem of hell itself. Moll Flanders, Daniel Defoe. There have been more prisons in London than in any other European city. Of these, Newgate was the largest, most notorious and worst. Built during the twelfth century, it became a legendary place, the inspiration of more poems, plays and novels than any other building in London. It was a place of cruelty and wretchedness, at various times holding Dick Turpin, Titus Oates, Daniel Defoe, Jack Sheppard and Casanova. Because prisons were privately run, any time spent in prison had to be paid for by the prisoner. Housing varied from a private cell with a cleaning woman and a visiting prostitute, to simply lying on the floor with no cover. Those who died inside, and only a quarter of prisoners survived until their execution day, had to stay in Newgate as a rotting corpse until relatives found the money for the body to be released. Stephen Halliday tells the story of Newgate's origins, the criminals it held, the punishments meted out and its rebuilding and reform. This is a compelling slice of London's social and criminal history.

The London Encyclopaedia London History. 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.

Dickens's Dictionary of London 1888: An Unconventional Handbook London History. An unconventional Victorian guidebook which vividly captures the atmosphere and vitality of what was then the largest city in the world, the heart, not just of the nation, but also of a great empire. Through a series of over 700 detailed entries contained in 272 pages printed facsimile from the original 1888 edition, we build up a living portrait of Victorian London, from the fashionable gentlemen's clubs of St James's to the markets and slums of the East End. The remarks on the principal buildings, the churches and the great railway stations, the banks, theatres and sporting facilities are informative and well observed, the comments of someone who obviously knew London like the back of his hand. Equally revealing and very entertaining are the wealth of tips on social behaviour. There is essential advice on everything from the hiring of servants, a parlour maid's recommended salary was 12 per annum, the benefits of cycling, most welcome in view of the saving of cruelty to horseflesh, how to cope with milk contaminated with diphtheria and typhoid, fogs, much appreciated by the predatory classes, through to avoiding the attention of carriage thieves. This very detailed guidebook is a mine of information for all lovers of London and its past.

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