Nairn's London (London Library Series) [Paperback]

Ian Nairn (Author), Roger, Film Ebert (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2002 | Series: London Library Series

This, and Without the City Wall: An Adventure in London Street Names, are the first two volumes in A Common Reader’s new London Library series for serious lovers of London.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“ …the most passionate and acerbic guide ever written about London.” -- from the Introduction by Roger Ebert

From the Publisher

The city is never the same, one year to the next, and the annual spate of guides to it come and go. Nairn’s London, however, has deservedly stayed: ever since its original publication in 1966, Ian Nairn’s 450–entry “personal list of the best things in London” has had the reputation as the finest, most stimulating London vade mecum of them all. Brilliantly and bitingly written, impassioned in its vision of the city and its history, this is a splendidly unique volume to be treasured by every connoisseur of the ever–changing city.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Trafalgar Square Publishing (May 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585790443
• ISBN-13: 978-1585790449
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #225,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great! but could have been better., January 13, 2007

By 

Terence C Brennan "Tough marker" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Nairn's London (London Library Series) (Paperback)

Jerry Yares (below) is much too hard on this reprint of a classic. I have used it in rambles around the City and Westminster, and found it invaluable. It is also a great companion on a winter night, planning that next trip to London.

Mr. Yares does us all a favor in pointing out the existence of a second, updated edition (1988). If this were a reprint of that edition, I would have given it five stars in a minute. Were there copyright problems? In any case, the 1988 edition is available from Amazon partners. The binding of my copy is old and breaking, and the type is hard on the eyes, but the updates are very valuable.

Buy both, and take this one with you to London; keep the 1988 edition at home for reference.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I did not "revise" this, July 3, 2003

By 

Roger J. Ebert "Roger Ebert" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Nairn's London (London Library Series) (Paperback)

All I did was write the introduction. I was earlier instrumental in bringing about the revised Penguin edition that he praises.

19 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother--hunt for the 1988 Gasson revision, July 19, 2002

By 

J. Yares "jyares" (Maryville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nairn's London (London Library Series) (Paperback)

Lacking "no-stars," under duress I am forced to rate this book one star.

Ian Nairn published the original in 1966. In 1988, Peter Gasson produced a major revision and updating of the original which I bought several years ago at a remainder store.

Now, in 2002, I am about to revisit London. A friend tells me that Roger Ebert, my up until now favorite film critic has revised Nairns. So I buy a copy.

Bad move.

In it is the text from the 1966 original edition, which according to Gasson, in 1988, was then somewhat out of date.

The 107 essential photographs from the original (and from Gasson's revision) "are not reproduced here."

Plus, ". . .Gasson's updatings of Nairn's 'irreplaceable and intensely personal text [presented by Gasson as footnotes]' are, in their turn, sadly and inevitably out of date as well. . . ."

From Ebert's introduction I surmise that neither he nor the publisher had the guts, expertise, insight, sensitivity, energy, or courage to do a creditable update. So they copped out and merely reprinted the original 1966 Nairn's with Ebert's comments pasted in the front.

In my opinion, this book is a waste of your money.

In my opinion, better you should hunt up a copy of Gasson's 1988 revision and spend an afternoon plotting the locations on a good London map and checking out the details in the 2002 Time Out London guide.

I am returning the Ebert/Nairn guide to Amazon next week.

Jerry Yares ([e-mail])