Readings for London

I went to my local library and adjacent to the travel section were entire shelves devoted to books about castles, gardens, etc. If you are a library kind of person, I suggest going and having a look. In the last week, I asked the experts on the board for books and movies to put me in a British frame of mind. You might look at those posts/responses for ideas.

Edward Rutherfurd's "Londinium" is a very long but absorbing novel covering the city over thousands of years through the experiences of several families. A fun way to learn about the place.

Gwen Peter Ackroyd has written two really good books: 'London, the biography' and 'London Under' which are worth a look. He is a real expert on the city and writes well. On a lighter note 'London by pub' by Ted Bruning is an interesting read. Essentially a series of walks around London pubs with some of the history of each plus details of opening times etc. (It would be worth checking these, it's fairly old now.) You say you are interested in theatre so another possibility would be 'The lodger: Shakespeare on Silver Street' which contains pretty much all we know about Shakespeare's life in London. Finally two atmospheric novels: The House of Silk by Antony Horowitz, which is the most recent Sherlock Holmes pastiche, and 'Tipping the Velvet' by Sarah Waters. A young woman's adventures on the London stage in Victorian England. (You might want to check the blurb on this before embarking on it. It's a 'romp' and so some people might have objections to it.) Have a great trip. Alan

Unless I'm mistaken, I think Dick is actually referring to a book by Edward Rutherford with the title Sarum: The Novel of England. It is a fabulous book. Very long, detailed, and written in the style of James Michner. In other words, it begins at the beginning in the stone age and follows specific families through the ages.

Kay, it's actually "London" by Rutherfurd, not "Londinium" as I'd thought. Published in 2002, after "Sarum." I see from Amazon that he wrote several more since then, including a new one "Paris" which I'd better check out. Yes, it's like a Michener book, not to everyone's taste but for me a fun way to get some history and appreciation for a place. Gwen, I think the first response you got was good, look on the library shelf next to the London or UK guidebooks. Also look in the history section and if a book looks interesting check out the "about the author" blurb. Often journalists write more readable history than scholars.

Dick, the Rutherford book on Paris comes out in April this year. It's already on my wish list!