London Compendium [Paperback]

Ed Glinert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2004

The streets of London resonate with secret stories, from East End lore to Cold War espionage, from tales of riots, rakes, brothers, anarchy and grisly murders, to Rolling Stones gigs, gangland drinking dens, Orwell's Fitzrovia and Lenin's haunts. Ed Glinert has walked the city from Limehouse to Lambeth, Whitehall to Whitechapel, unravelling its mysteries along the way. This is London as you have never seen it before.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'One of those books, destined to be read until they fall apart, that map the unmappable and make it live' Ian Sinclair."

About the Author

Ed Glinert was born in Dalston. He is the author of The Literary Guide to London and The London Compendium and leads a variety of walking tours around London. His fascination with people and place, coupled with his forensic gift for digging out obscure stories is perfectly suited to this uniquely intriguing subject.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141012137
• ISBN-13: 978-0141012131
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,803,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting guided tour., December 15, 2010

By 

Richard "Chappo" (Rochester NY, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: London Compendium (Paperback)

As the title suggests, this book takes the areas of London, breaks them down street-by-street and provides a history of the notable features on those streets. It is full of interesting facts (some quite obscure) from all eras and illustrates just how rich the history of the city of London is. It is a very enjoyable read and can be read in order or just dipped in and out of as you see fit. It definitely makes me want to visit London again at the earliest opportunity and I intend to take this book with me next time to add interest as I wander about.

A few minor quibbles are that the index is a little bit lacking and it's sometimes hard to find a certain section for a place if you're not sure exactly where in London it is. Also, the old fashioned text used for some of the names of buildings or parks is very very hard to read - but this does not make up the bulk of the text and so is not a major issue in understanding the book.

I will definitely buy more of Ed Glinert's books.

Love the cover art too - painted by Paul Simonen of The Clash.