London
A History

Two thousand years in 150 pages! If the biography of a city whose history spans two thousand years is compressed to the short written span of only 150 pages, it is of necessity less than comprehensive. Like the late evening news, whose information is a compilation of sound bytes and 30 second highlig......more

The last time I was actually in London was 1994 and this book was written in 2004. I was however, curious to know how the author could fit 2000 years of history into less than 200 pages. Thus, this was a highly readable summary which is divided into periods, highlighting the most significant achieve......more

A too brief overview of London with emphasis on architecture, city planning and class.......more

Despite its title, this book is far from being a systematic historical account; instead, it peoples London with ghosts of "old, unhappy, far-off things/ And battles long ago". The style is very clear but scholarly; the book is obviously written by one who knows and loves London and its history and c......more

A quick and easy read, but very rambly and definitely not as advertized. I was put off by the very anti-immigrant tone of the introduction, which is even weirder when the chapter that deals with modern immigration to London is much more open-minded.......more