London: The Biography, (Paperback)

from billiecat

As far as I am concerned, you can have Paris in the springtime. Give me London in the rain. Ackroyd's book shares many characteristics with its namesake - it is crowded, organic, chaotic, and full of life. It also shares many of the City's faults - it's hard sometimes to find what you are looking...

from sscarllet

I have no words for this book - it's just amazing. I've read it three times now, once before I moved to London as a student, once just because and once before I moved to London permanently, and I will read it again. For a 800 page book thats pretty impressive.Ackroyd personifies London. Its not j...

from MiaCulpa

An excellent living history of one of the great cities of the world. Ackroyd has researched London history thoroughly and presented in a way that makes you want to book a flight to London, stet. I haven't spent a lot of time in London but I can imagine using "London: the biography" as a guide to ...

from RandyStafford

I've only had the opportunity to spend a few days in London, so I can't claim to know the city well. But, says Ackroyd - himself seemingly a lifelong Londoner, it's been centuries since anyone can claim to really know the city. His bibliographic essay notes there are at least 21, 778 works on the...

from bell7

I brought this book home from the library soon after my trip to London, all excited to dig into the history of the places I had been and learn more about this great historic city. In the beginning, my reading was going well. Thought it is structured thematically rather than chronologically, I got...