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thebooktrail88's review against another edition
5.0
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Where do I start? This is just the perfect book for any literary lover –
The chapters start by telling you about the journey London has gone on from its humble beginnings to the metropolis of today. It was like stepping back in a time machine and finding your way with the authors in turn, the guides of the social, political, cultural and of course Literary London of its time.
Can you tell how much this book fascinated me? It’s even got key addresses and further reading lists after each easy to read and descriptive chapters. Such bold titles too ‘Beginners and Immortals” was the first – Chaucer, Shakespeare….so often I think we forget about the faded footsteps of those who have walked centuries before us.
Little grey boxes of extra info peppered the journey like those blue literary plaques on the walls…. You can literally walk in and out of this book as the mood suits and of course each chapter is a trail in itself – and a mountain of knowledge at the same time.
The text is fresh and witty and then when I got to chapter four “Mystics and Magicians” like on a wayward Hogwarts broom, I was flung into the London ether – graveyards, angels and demons…. ghosts. I may not be brave enough to read in the dark but if you do I can only imagine sitting in some of these places when the light starts to fade. Never mind the Jack the Ripper tours – this is a whole new London thrill!
There’s so much to this book that one short review doesn’t even get close to the literary love affair I now have with London and this book. Gossips and Rivals was another favourite “London has nurtured many fond literary friendships” it starts describing the way writers huddle in cafes….and where readers go to ‘meet’ them either for real or via their books
It’s not just the literary leanings which are prominent but the landscape and the changes that the city has seen and experienced and even those it has been at the forefront of. A history lesson as well as a literary one but one that reads like a ride on that Hogwarts broom stick when your game of Quidditch is polished and ready,
A literary gem
novelstorian's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Literary London explores all the landmarks around the city of London where well-known writers have lived, explored, and wrote. This book was not only informative but really well-written, with humour and banter sprinkled throughout the pages to make for an enjoyable read that does not feel like reading a textbook. I love that there is a little list of landmarks and their addresses at the end of each chapter to encourage readers to visit these places– especially as a local Londoner, it gives me an excuse to play tourist and explore my city through a different lens.
I especially enjoyed the chapter 'Bloomsberries and Backstabbers'– the anecdote about this group of writers canoodling with each other and each other's partners. As Dorothy Parker bluntly puts it: "They lived in squares, painted in circles, and loved in triangles".
I especially enjoyed the chapter 'Bloomsberries and Backstabbers'– the anecdote about this group of writers canoodling with each other and each other's partners. As Dorothy Parker bluntly puts it: "They lived in squares, painted in circles, and loved in triangles".
amalia1985's review
4.0
Eloise Millar is our guide in this wonderful, highly-enjoyable tour of London, one of the cradles of World Literature. In Literary London we find ourselves in numerous famous spots. Stations, squares, theatres, pubs, and churches. We meet a plethora of literary figures, following the steps of some of the giants of Literature.
From Shakespare, Marlowe, and Samuel Johnson to Marx, Dylan Thomas, Charlotte Bronte, Virginia Woolf, Henry James and Zola, the list is endless. We travel to Trafalgar Square which became Victory Square in 1984, to Charing Cross to wave goodbye to Harry Potter, to Whitechapel following the traces of Jack the Ripper.
Between those famous and many other less illustrious spots, some of the greatest Literature of all times have been created, and the book is a tribute to Literature and to a city full of mysteries, blessed with a dark, bleak beauty. After all, when a novel is set in London, the city becomes a character.
From Shakespare, Marlowe, and Samuel Johnson to Marx, Dylan Thomas, Charlotte Bronte, Virginia Woolf, Henry James and Zola, the list is endless. We travel to Trafalgar Square which became Victory Square in 1984, to Charing Cross to wave goodbye to Harry Potter, to Whitechapel following the traces of Jack the Ripper.
Between those famous and many other less illustrious spots, some of the greatest Literature of all times have been created, and the book is a tribute to Literature and to a city full of mysteries, blessed with a dark, bleak beauty. After all, when a novel is set in London, the city becomes a character.
jackielaw's review
5.0
Literary London, by Eloise Millar and Sam Jordison, is a book that should be read by all lovers of literature who wish to explore our vibrant and ever changing capital city. It is an entertaining guide to London’s literary history from the fourteenth century to the present day. It includes anecdotes on the literati who have congregated in the many pubs and clubs, made their homes in the garrets and mansions, and got together to forge friendships and rivalries. As well as offering up snippets on the writers’ lives, there are maps showing where they lived and worked that readers may walk in their footsteps, or refresh themselves in the watering holes frequented along the way.
In the late twelfth century Richard of Devizes, a monk passing through the city, wrote:
“You will come to London […] I warn you, whatever of evil or of perversity there is in any, whatever in all parts of the world, you will find in that city alone.”
Not to be put off by such a warning, many came. Indeed, even in the fourteenth century Londoners considered themselves a cut above the rest of the country. An eyewitness account of the Peasents’ Revolt described the rebels who invaded as:
“nasty, dirty countrymen, and certainly not from London.”
The authors have divided their commentary into twenty-one sections that readers may easily dip in and out should they wish to explore particular themes. For example, ‘Crime’ looks at many of the detective novels based in the city, and tells of The London Detection Club, a society for writers that still exists today. The code of ethics members must pledge to abide by is included, aimed at sustaining the quality of each author’s work and ensuring their readers be given “a fair chance at guessing the guilty party”.
Although this book focuses on well known and regarded writers, there is acknowledgement of subjectivity in judging literary merit. In the section ‘Modernists and Vorticists’, a series of abstract poems by Edith Sitwell could be described as “an experimental masterpiece or mere doggerel.” There are accounts of sackings by magazine publishers for “liberality towards experimentalists”. The TLS describes a poem by Prufrock as having “no relation to poetry.”
Sitwell and her contemporaries liked to dress up and wear strange face paints. Writers throughout the ages appear to have been fuelled by debauchery and a predilection for the bizarre. This notority was regarded as even less acceptable for women, many of whom changed their names to achieve publication. The fight continues against “the ingrained idea that women should in their spare time knit, sew and leave the thinking to the men”.
Each section finishes with details of key addresses (including closest tube station) and a list of recommended reading. Of course, many of the places mentioned no longer exist. Pubs in which writers congregated have been replaced by chain restaurants, entire streets have been erased for modern development. Where possible, however, the reader may seek out literary landmarks where the stories told here were lived.
There is a guide to a Dickensian pub crawl, a helpful map comparing Shakespeare’s Bankside to Bankside as it is today, a list of addresses where the Bloomsberries held their famous salons, restaurants where readers may “Eat like a Spy”. Talking of spies, there is also a little anecdote within these pages explaining how James Bond got his code number. It is the plethora of snippets such as this which make the book such a joy to read.
From Paddington Bear and Peter Rabbit through to Chaucer’s pilgrims, the lives of London writers and their creations are chronicled for the reader’s delectation. It does not profess to be a comprehensive compendium but the nuggets shared are enlightening. The writing is consistently and assuredly entertaining.
Read from cover to cover then dip into at will. Having discovered the places that nurtured and inspired these London writers, you may well be inspired to make a few outings of your own.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the authors.
In the late twelfth century Richard of Devizes, a monk passing through the city, wrote:
“You will come to London […] I warn you, whatever of evil or of perversity there is in any, whatever in all parts of the world, you will find in that city alone.”
Not to be put off by such a warning, many came. Indeed, even in the fourteenth century Londoners considered themselves a cut above the rest of the country. An eyewitness account of the Peasents’ Revolt described the rebels who invaded as:
“nasty, dirty countrymen, and certainly not from London.”
The authors have divided their commentary into twenty-one sections that readers may easily dip in and out should they wish to explore particular themes. For example, ‘Crime’ looks at many of the detective novels based in the city, and tells of The London Detection Club, a society for writers that still exists today. The code of ethics members must pledge to abide by is included, aimed at sustaining the quality of each author’s work and ensuring their readers be given “a fair chance at guessing the guilty party”.
Although this book focuses on well known and regarded writers, there is acknowledgement of subjectivity in judging literary merit. In the section ‘Modernists and Vorticists’, a series of abstract poems by Edith Sitwell could be described as “an experimental masterpiece or mere doggerel.” There are accounts of sackings by magazine publishers for “liberality towards experimentalists”. The TLS describes a poem by Prufrock as having “no relation to poetry.”
Sitwell and her contemporaries liked to dress up and wear strange face paints. Writers throughout the ages appear to have been fuelled by debauchery and a predilection for the bizarre. This notority was regarded as even less acceptable for women, many of whom changed their names to achieve publication. The fight continues against “the ingrained idea that women should in their spare time knit, sew and leave the thinking to the men”.
Each section finishes with details of key addresses (including closest tube station) and a list of recommended reading. Of course, many of the places mentioned no longer exist. Pubs in which writers congregated have been replaced by chain restaurants, entire streets have been erased for modern development. Where possible, however, the reader may seek out literary landmarks where the stories told here were lived.
There is a guide to a Dickensian pub crawl, a helpful map comparing Shakespeare’s Bankside to Bankside as it is today, a list of addresses where the Bloomsberries held their famous salons, restaurants where readers may “Eat like a Spy”. Talking of spies, there is also a little anecdote within these pages explaining how James Bond got his code number. It is the plethora of snippets such as this which make the book such a joy to read.
From Paddington Bear and Peter Rabbit through to Chaucer’s pilgrims, the lives of London writers and their creations are chronicled for the reader’s delectation. It does not profess to be a comprehensive compendium but the nuggets shared are enlightening. The writing is consistently and assuredly entertaining.
Read from cover to cover then dip into at will. Having discovered the places that nurtured and inspired these London writers, you may well be inspired to make a few outings of your own.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the authors.
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