Customer Reviews

London (Universal History)

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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 highlights summarizing the day's events from around the world, AN Wilson's "London" is entertaining and briefly hits only the highest of the high spots. If a reader limits his expectations to information content at that limited level, then any potential disappointment will dissipate like the mists of an early morning fog on the Thames. Instead the reader will be treated to a very entertaining and informative read that adequately traces the evolution of London from an outlying Roman settlement to a multi-ethnic cosmopolis whose economy is built upon the twin pillars of tourism and world finance.

"London is now a town much more like New York than it is like Rome or Paris. It does not have a particularly national identity. The big City institutions are largely staffed, funded and run, as well as owned, by hugely powerful non-British companies, American, German and Japanese. The economy depends upon non-British holidaymakers coming in huge numbers to be fed and tended by, on the whole, non-British restaurateurs, hoteliers, entertainers ... " and the like.

I found it particularly interesting that Wilson, like Bill Bryson in his "Notes from a Small Island", makes much of the abysmal state of post World War II architecture and the generally appalling lack of leadership and centralized urban planning in the growth of the city of London. But whatever criticisms Wilson might level at London are also tempered by his obvious love for the city and his optimism that "in spite of all the mistakes made by its administrators, it will meet the challenges of the future".

As one of those millions of visiting tourists, I purchased "London: A Short History" as a souvenir with the intent of learning a little bit more about the city that was gracious enough to give me such an enjoyable vacation. It filled the bill perfectly. The few brief pages, for example, that talked about Churchill's leadership and the city's unflappable courage during the London Blitzkrieg were a wonderful, moving summary of the city's finest hour.

Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss