neil_denham's review against another edition
3.0
Really good book, was sending me off to google and Wikipedia every few pages to find out more about certain topics!
Got slightly hung up with certain topics, such as the private clubs, and the rather selective list of political scandals towards the end! (and throughout the book his politics leak out not so subtly!)
Overall a great book though, one i will be dipping back into to.
Got slightly hung up with certain topics, such as the private clubs, and the rather selective list of political scandals towards the end! (and throughout the book his politics leak out not so subtly!)
Overall a great book though, one i will be dipping back into to.
dizzymslindsay's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally posted on Tsundokuholic.
Overview
I majored in history because I found history interesting. Okay, maybe not all history, but I like learning how people lived hundreds to thousands of years ago. Those of you who aren’t history buffs might think, “What possible interest could I have in people who died a long time ago?” We tend to think of history in terms of dates and names we attach vague meaning to. History is so interesting when you dig below the dusty covers and expose the dirty, scandalous underbelly of history. If this sounds intriguing, Bizarre London by David Long could develop your history appreciation.
Bizarre London explores the funny, dark, dangerous, and quirky parts of London’s history that the average person probably isn’t aware of. Each chapter includes tidbits about a certain facet of the city’s history, such as serial killers, odd buildings, food and beverage, riots, holidays, parks, eccentric Londoners, and ghosts. Instead of disseminating information in full chapters, Long divides his chapters into lists with a short paragraph per item, and short asides. This makes the information easy to read. You can quickly skim through the information if you’re looking for something specific, and it’s not overwhelming if you’re reading the book straight through. Meanwhile, you’re learning about history through the back alleys and infamous figures of London.
My Thoughts
Bizarre London could appeal to fans of history, travel, royalty, food, serial killers, and other topics. There’s something in here for everybody. The book covers many topics related to London’s history, but is written in a user-friendly way. The information isn’t overwhelming because each section is brief and interesting. You’re guaranteed to learn something you’ll never forget. I learned that royal elephants drank wine in the summer because it was believed that elephants couldn’t drink water during that season, and I didn’t have to read through a heavy, musky tome to learn this.
Some of the information is light and quirky, but other bits are disturbing and depressing. Quite a few descriptions of relics mentioned in the book end with the information that they were blown to smithereens during WWII, when Germany frequently bombed London. There are stories of animal cruelty, dismemberment, and moldering corpses on display. I love these kinds of stories, but they aren’t for everyone. The book maintains British spelling and references things only people who are familiar with the United Kingdom would recognize, which might be off-putting to some readers. If you enjoy casual looks at underappreciated stories from history, this book is for you.
Rating: 4 out of 5 rampaging elephants
Overview
I majored in history because I found history interesting. Okay, maybe not all history, but I like learning how people lived hundreds to thousands of years ago. Those of you who aren’t history buffs might think, “What possible interest could I have in people who died a long time ago?” We tend to think of history in terms of dates and names we attach vague meaning to. History is so interesting when you dig below the dusty covers and expose the dirty, scandalous underbelly of history. If this sounds intriguing, Bizarre London by David Long could develop your history appreciation.
Bizarre London explores the funny, dark, dangerous, and quirky parts of London’s history that the average person probably isn’t aware of. Each chapter includes tidbits about a certain facet of the city’s history, such as serial killers, odd buildings, food and beverage, riots, holidays, parks, eccentric Londoners, and ghosts. Instead of disseminating information in full chapters, Long divides his chapters into lists with a short paragraph per item, and short asides. This makes the information easy to read. You can quickly skim through the information if you’re looking for something specific, and it’s not overwhelming if you’re reading the book straight through. Meanwhile, you’re learning about history through the back alleys and infamous figures of London.
My Thoughts
Bizarre London could appeal to fans of history, travel, royalty, food, serial killers, and other topics. There’s something in here for everybody. The book covers many topics related to London’s history, but is written in a user-friendly way. The information isn’t overwhelming because each section is brief and interesting. You’re guaranteed to learn something you’ll never forget. I learned that royal elephants drank wine in the summer because it was believed that elephants couldn’t drink water during that season, and I didn’t have to read through a heavy, musky tome to learn this.
Some of the information is light and quirky, but other bits are disturbing and depressing. Quite a few descriptions of relics mentioned in the book end with the information that they were blown to smithereens during WWII, when Germany frequently bombed London. There are stories of animal cruelty, dismemberment, and moldering corpses on display. I love these kinds of stories, but they aren’t for everyone. The book maintains British spelling and references things only people who are familiar with the United Kingdom would recognize, which might be off-putting to some readers. If you enjoy casual looks at underappreciated stories from history, this book is for you.
Rating: 4 out of 5 rampaging elephants
gunderthunder12's review against another edition
5.0
Great little nuggets of information. Smartly categorized. Page-turner. Will definitely be reading more by David Long
sophie_paterson's review against another edition
3.0
There were lots of interesting nuggets in this book but I felt the overall tone was quite weird. The stories were all clipped so short it was hard to really get into any of the details, and there was a bit a right-wing lean that meant lots of interesting stories were missed out or glossed over.
tericr's review against another edition
3.0
i didn't like it as much as i thought i would... the little illustrations and the cover were pretty cute and the author did some really good research, but some of the historical facts were just plain boring.
peyporges's review
3.0
I read this at my uncles house because I was bored. It was pretty interesting but as someone who isn’t super interested in London it wasn’t that great for me. I feel like if you are into London and want to know some cool stories about it, definitely read this.
asuitcasefullofbooks's review
3.0
Interesting historical facts, but wasn't what I was looking for right now. I had hoped it would give me ideas for places to visit in London, but this is more of facts about people and things that mostly don't exist any more and there isn't much to see there if it mentions a place.