Customer Reviews

London Encyclopedia

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For anyone who has any interest in London beyond the superficial, this book is a feast. Definitive scholarly articles about virtually any London topic one could imagine. 1060 pages, 6 1/2" x 9 1/2" (i.e., a LOT of words)in the softcover edition I have. Bought it in London in November, 1996, for 25 pounds

I bought the hardcover edition of this great book some time around my first trip to London in 1986. And although I don't make it to that great city nearly as often as I would like (understatement), I feel like I know the city at least moderately well. A big part of the credit for that has to go to the many hours I've spent browsing, or doing concentrated research, in these pages. It's truly an outstanding reference.

Sadly, it's much too large to carry around as a guidebook. However, I returned from our recent London holiday with a long list of streets, squares, statues, parks, and other landmarks to look up in "The London Encyclopędia," and was uniformly pleased with the results. The authors have done a remarkable amount of research, but presented it in a way that is accessible and highly readable. For the casual visitor or the serious historian, this hefty volume is a resource that's not to be overlooked.

An excellent reference for anyone writing or reading about the history of London, The London Encyclopedia has enough detail to satisfy even the most nit-picky browser looking for an historical good time, and the serious researcher won't walk away unhappy, either. Yummy

This is a great book if you want quick information on places and people in history that pertained to London. I would love to see a book or several books (since it is a larger subject) on England as a whole. This is a quick reference on most everything about London, but in my opinion, it would be impossible to contain all information about the subjects. However, if you needed more info, there's always the internet, or other specialized books. It depends on your personal need for info and how much of it you want. I like it because it is easy to sit in the living room chair and browse, but it doesn't have the one thing the internet does have, quick links to associated subjects. Look up Kensington on Wikipedia for example, and there are many links in blue to explore, but this can also be a downfall in itself as you can get wrapped up in the computer for a very long time. Of course I am no expert on the subjects in the book (which is why I bought it; to learn) but it does seem pretty thorough. It's a heavy large book, so your arms might tire after a while. If you like tidbits of info on London, get this book, it will be a good read.