'...dip into Richard Tames's literary, lyrical A TRAVELLER'S HISTORY OF LONDON' THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'This volume is not so much a guide as a supremely civilised companion' EASTERN DAILY PRESS A TRAVELLER'S HISTORY OF LONDON aims to bring London's past alive to the resident, traveller and student, to reveal the city's hidden treasures and forgotten places and guide the reader to the sights and sites that can still be seen and enjoyed.

Table of Contents

Introduction: clearing house of the world; Londinium and Ludenwic, AD43-1066; conquest and corporation, 1066-1400; from medieval to modern, 1400-1600; revolutions and rebuilding, 1600-1700; elegance and violence, 1700-1780; the Great Wen, 1780-1837; inequalities and improvements, 1837-1889; heart of empire, 1889-1919; expansion and experiment, 1919-1939; Phoenix City - from the Blitz to the Dome; chronology of events; rulers and monarchs, prime ministers.

About the Author

Richard Tames read history at Cambridge and took his Master's degree at the University of London, where he worked for over 15 years and was three times a Teacher Fellow. He now lectures for the London programmes of the American University and is a London Tourist Board registered 'Blue Badge' Guide. He is the author of AMERICAN WALKS IN LONDON, BLOOMSBURY PAST, SOHO PAST and THE CITY OF LONDON PAST.

Prizes

London is a magnet to millions of tourists every year In-depth comprehensive history in compact form

Reviews

From the historical to the hip, these two travel guides offer very different approaches to travel in this much-visited city. In his first travel book, Hammond skips about London, from the East End to Notting Hill Gate, sneering at popular tourist attractions, quoting from better and more interesting travel guides, and pointing out the former haunts of every British pop star ever known. Though mildly amusing, Hammond's hip references remain obscure for the average American, and his humor is too often merely mean-spirited. (Bill Bryson does this sort of thing so much better in Notes from a Small Island, LJ 4/1/96.) Tames (author of the Japan volume in the "Traveller's History" series) has written a pleasant but very brief history of London, of questionable value to travelers. Primarily a chronological review of aspects of London's history (e.g., livery companies, the growth of retailing, religion, and riots), the book pays an inordinate amount of attention to transportation and includes a very short section describing a few major tourist sites. Neither book offers any useful information regarding opening times, getting around the city, or finding restaurants or accommodations, and the maps in Hammond's book are crude. Any number of books on London are superior to these two. Libraries are advised to buy an additional (or first) copy of Michael Leapman's Eyewitness London (DK, 1993) instead.‘Linda M. Kaufmann, Massachusetts Coll. of Liberal Arts Lib., North Adams