A History of London

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From the jazz clubs of Soho to the streets of Notting Hill, and plenty in between, Sounds Like London includes contributions from huge musical names such as Eddy Grant, Osibisa, Russell Henderson, Dizzee Rascal and Trevor Nelson, with an introduction by Soul2Soul’s Jazzie B. It might sound silly, but it’s a clever and fun way of learning about different periods in time as though you are a tourist within history itself. Pin Did you find new London books to read? Save your favorite books about London for later, and travel around the world with The Uncorked Librarian. While those interested in Victorian London will certainly know the work of Mayhew and Booth, they may not have come across the magnificent collection of essays brought together by George R Sims and published at the very end of the old queen’s reign. Consisting of a series of short essays about the city, “its work and its play, its humour and its pathos, its sights and its scenes”, reveals virtually every aspect of the life of London at the beginning of the 20th century. The essays range from Waterside London to Underground London and Ballooning London. The book also includes at least one sketch on each of the major migrant groups in the capital. This is essential reading for anyone interested in fantasy books about London. Neverwhere also makes for a great fantasy book to listen to.

And once you’ve finished with those, I’m also going to suggest 5 charming book shops in London that you should visit to indulge your literary obsession during your trip. I could just as easily have recommended this author’s accounts of London in the 18th century and in the 20th. White’s masterly and well written narratives offer the best introductions to the history of modern London, covering all aspects of the development of the global city before, during and after the age of empire: people, economics, society, culture and politics. They serve as reference volumes for anyone who wants to learn about modern London and its people. This girl is from London Below – a place unseen by those on the surface but that has nevertheless always been there. Throughout this all we get the chimes of Big Ben charting the development of this single day (Woolf’s working title for the novel was ‘The Hours’), and various London streets, parks, and landmarks which are realised with the same impressionistic yet vivid eye for detail that we associate with modernist fiction.Get The Diaries of Samuel Pepys at Waterstones and Books a Million Shakespeare’s London on 5 Groats a Day by Richard Tames Her book delves into why each of their individual circumstances led them to be alone and destitute on the streets of Whitechapel in that treacherous fall of 1888. In early 1950s London, jazz clarinetist Lawrie Matthews earns a living for himself walking the streets of Brixton by day as a postman and playing in Soho’s jazz clubs by night. St Bartholomew's Gatehouse - Standing proudly at the entrance to one of the oldest churches in the City lies St Bartholomew's gatehouse, a rare survivor of Tudor London. A slice of history in itself, as well as a tale of London throughout the ages, In Search of London was written in the 1950s by travel journalist HV Morton. Morton, while walking the streets of his city, recounts the history of his favourite places, many of which are still firm favourites for visitors today. His familiar style of writing feels like you’re being taken on a tour by a friend, and as the blurb states:

This fascinating period of London’s history – the Great Fire, the abolition of the monarchy, the execution of Charles I – is brought to life in this pacy, history-fuelled thriller. Steeped in intrigue, secrecy, treachery and politics, Wolf Hall, is a great read for those interested in Tudor history and Tudor court life in London.

The Best London History Books

When fingers start to point, prejudice leads some members of the community to point them at those who recently arrived in the country. Cross Bones Graveyard - Read about this unconsecrated memorial to the thousands of prostitutes who once worked in Southwark. For instance, while puzzled about the reason for the closure of a place of relief near the Goodge Street tube-station, our man is duly informed that “You see, places of that kind which have no attendants afford excellent rendezvous to people who wish to meet out of doors and yet escape the eye of the Busy…”

The author, Craig Taylor, shares anecdotes, stories and private conversations from a full spectrum of London life including young and old, rich and poor, men and women. London's Roman Basilica and Forum - At one time the largest Roman building north of the Alps, but to see the remains you'll need a haircut first... Anyone looking for books about London that offer a strong emotional connection will enjoy this story. Red Lion Square - This small public square has a very intriguing history. It has been the scene of a pitched battle and may also be the final resting place of Oliver Cromwell. Both sisters face their own difficulties; however; the bulk of the book focuses on Pembe’s life in London.

9. City Walks Deck: London, Christina Henry de Tessan

A room at the Museum of London, showing Charles Booth’s 1891 Descriptive Map of London Poverty. Photograph: Sarah Lee/the Guardian Get Beastly London: A History of Animals in London at Waterstones and Books a Million Mudlarking: Lost and Found on the River Thames by Lara Maiklem Soon, the neighborhood becomes a battleground, with some residents starting what amounts to a witch hunt. From history, to culture, to sightseeing, to maps and more, if you’re only going to have one London book on your shelf, then this should probably be it. What could possibly be better to end this books about London round-up than with a book all about the literary side of London?

Written by J.K. Rowling (under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith), the Cormoran Strike novels follow the trials and tribulations of London-based Private Investigator, Cormoran Strike. Get Mudlarking: Lost and Found on the River Thames at Waterstones and Books a Million Fictional books about London’s history The book is shaped by extensive research into archives and oral histories, with the south of England and, in particular London, as the centre stage. Narratives develop around “the metropolitan nightclubs of post-war London […], lesbian magazines and social organisation”, reporting on the vibrant lesbian social scene that developed between the end of World War II and 1971, the year the Manifesto of the British Gay Liberation Front was published. Walk the Lines: The London Underground, Overground tells the tale of Mark Mason, who decided to follow the entire length of the London Underground – above ground – before sharing what he found along the way, as well as what gossip he overheard.

Nairn's London, Ian Nairn (9 nominations). Architectural critic Ian Nairn wrote with erudition and a shed-load of opinion, making this 1966 classic both enlightening and hilarious. Re-issued for a new generation. Londonist review Amusements: during the season, the West End is gay enough, especially for anyone with influential introductions: mostly London gaieties being of a private character. The early morning begins with an exercise ride in Rotten-row. In the afternoon, grand parade in the same place with splendid show of carriages in the Drive. It is here that a stranger will get his best view of the London “world.’” Queenie is a young, 20-something Jamaican-British Londoner who has just (unwillingly) split up with her long-term White boyfriend, Tom. I could have saved myself a whole lot of effort by reading Do Not Pass Go: From the Old Kent Road to Mayfair, which takes readers on a tour of the Monopoly board, telling the histories and tales of each of the tiles on the board. Tim Moore spent a little more time than I did on his tour, staying at a fancy hotel in Mayfair, visiting an inmate at Pentonville prison, and discovering the quirks and mysteries of the destinations that ended up making the Monopoly we know today.