The London Bible: A Guide to Living and Working in the Capital (Travel) [Paperback]

Katherine Harlow (Author), Katya Holloway (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2003 | Series: Travel

Whether you are a student, or planning a working year exchange, or are moving there for the first time, or are a frequent visitor but need a concise and honest guide to what's good to do-this book will be your bible. Area by area, and crammed full with everything you need to know about accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, employment, restaurants, cinemas... you name it, it's in here. The London Bible is for those who want to experience all that London has to offer. This is the definitive companion to London.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Katherine Harlow moved to London in 1998 at the age of 20, and has been working in television as an artwork executive. She is now writing her first novel. Katya Holloway moved from Canada at the age of 20 to work in the British publishing industry. Trained as a journalist, she is now the deputy editor of a travel magazine in London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Interlink Publishing Group (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566565243
• ISBN-13: 978-1566565240
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,363,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worthless for a family planning to relocate, July 14, 2005

By 

Antonio Dutra Jr. "obicho" (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The London Bible: A Guide to Living and Working in the Capital (Travel) (Paperback)

As noted by some of the other reviewers, this book is not geared for anyone with a family who's planning to relocate to London, but instead for the 20-something, single, partying crowd.

For instance, the Education chapter concentrates on college or continuing education for adults, without nary a mention on schools for children. Likewise, the neighbourhood descriptions don't even try to mention what they are like for families, instead concentrating in describing their restaurants, pubs and other nightlife options.

Several of the neighbourhoods are described as "expensive" or "posh", and the authors don't shy in saying that "you probably will not afford to live there". Why then waste valuable book space on them??? They should instead have concentrated on describing those areas where normal people (i.e. non-millionaires) will actually end up living!!!

It seems like this book is geared for those looking to have a "Sex In The City" lifestyle. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but I found its title to be deceiving. After all, when you dare to call your book a "Bible" to something you should go to great lenghts to make sure it is as inclusive as possible. I definitely found it to be a waste of money; as a matter of fact, this was the first book I purchased at Amazon that I ever felt compelled to return (and I've purchased over 200 books here).

For those adults who are planning a move to London (married or not, with children or childless) I recommend "Living and Working in Britain, Fifth Edition : A Survival Handbook", by David Hampshire. It is full of information that actually helps in planning such a move and allows you to know how to settle in London or anywhere else in Britain.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Okay Book, but very general, October 3, 2004

By 

Thanh Thi Vo "Bea" (Ithaca, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The London Bible: A Guide to Living and Working in the Capital (Travel) (Paperback)

The book was definitely geared toward the partying-set, and was very vague in descriptions of the various neighborhoods of London or in finding a job. The review of neighborhoods was so cursory that all the descriptions eventually sounded the same and they missed a few as well.

There really wasn't anything in there that I didn't already know, although it might be a little helpful for someone moving to London, but it's all information you could find on the web or from a friend.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book really helped me to find my feet in London!, February 15, 2005

By 

Sam Peach (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: London Bible (Summersdale Travel) (Paperback)

I arrived in London six months ago and to say that I was overwhelmed at first was an understatement. Luckily, during my first week at a hostel in Earls Court, a fellow novice to London recommended The London Bible to me. This guide seemed to be aimed directly at me, at 26 year old who wanted to settle in London and really make the most of my time here.

I had purchased one of the usual backpacker guides before arriving, but what I really needed was information on settling in London, not just passing through.

The London Bible begins with THE BASICS, chapters that concisely and clearly explain all you need to know about 1) ACCOMMODATION (how letting agencies work, types of properties, postcode areas, council tax, bills, bond etc...) 2) RECRUITMENT AND MONEY (jobs, agencies, C.V.s, salaries, tax, how to open a bank account etc...) 3) TRANSPORT (how to navigate the tube!, fares, travelcards, buses, taxis etc...) 4) HEALTH (how to sign up with a doctor, how the NHS works, prescriptions, dentists etc...) 5) EDUCATION (universities, colleges, financial support, overseas students, language schools etc...) 6) COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA (getting a telephone & cell phone, newspapers, TV and the dreaded TV license etc...) 7) SHOPPING (where, what, sizes, budget shopping, cheap haircuts etc...) and then a few chapters on some other basics. I was very, very pleased with these sections as I just wanted to know easily how to do things. It's tough arriving in London - you have no idea where to start just to get a doctor. But this book says in plain and simple terms exactly what you should do. About a third of the book is devoted to all of this, yet it isn't rambling. Just a bit of background and then what to do to sort yourself out. Perfect. Exactly what I needed.

The second section of the book is...ENTERTAINMENT! Arriving in London was daunting - with so many clubs, bars, and places to go out I had no idea where to start at first. Luckily the book told me about the best clubs to try, where to go to see bands/theatre/galleries/soccer etc... I'm enamored with all the history of London. Now I know where to go to drink in Charles Dickens' favourite pub (and where his favourite seat was!), I know which underground club has seen Muddy Waters, the Rolling Stones, the Sex Pistols, and the White Stripes all grace the stage and now hosts all manner of up-and-coming bands.

The third section of the book, AREAS, was extremely helpful when I started looking for somewhere to live after the youth hostel. London is massive. Looking at the listings for flatshares I had no idea what was a good or bad area and the book was very helpful with this. It gives an overview of the major areas and describes the differences (ie. Hoxton is trendy and bohemian, the City is dead at the weekends, and Hampstead is posh and leafy). Reading through the Areas chapters I was able to decide which neighborhoods I wanted to live in and then center my flatshare searches to those places. The added bonus of having the best pubs, bars, and restaurants per area was great.

This book really helped me to settle in easily, move to a cool flatshare in a neighborhood that I love, get a job in the media thanks to the agency listing, and to discover some fantastic bars and clubs.

I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone trying to settle into London.