Synopses & Reviews
The Thames, Englands greatest riverfor centuries an aid to trade, a stalwart of national defense, a stage for some of Englands greatest historical events, an inspiration to some of Englands best poets and artists, a challenge to engineers. Yet while there is a constancy in the history of the river, there is also change. The Thames charts the diverse meanings of the river over the course of millennia, from prehistoric to modern times.
From the elephants on the bank of the prehistoric river to Caesars expeditionary force; from King Alfreds battleships to the signing of Magna Carta; from the rivers role in both the coronation and execution of Anne Boleyn to seventeenth-century frost fairs and the first performance of Handels Water Music; from Turners view of the river as arcadia through its bombardment during the Blitz, The Thames provides an intimate portrait of the waterway at the heart of English history.
Blending elegant prose with historical detail, this exceptional book superbly brings to life the river Winston Churchill once vividly described as a golden thread in the national tapestry.”
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"The book, which is arranged by geographic area, includes contemporary and archival images as well as lovely illustrated maps detailing where you can find the plaques. Equally enjoyable is the text, which is full of interesting tidbits. . . . [The book] makes a terrific reference work, for looking up details about plaques youve seen on walls around London or as guidance for those youd like to seek out on your next trip."Nathan Lump,
The Moment Blog (NYTimes.com)
-- Wildlife Activist
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"[A] major achievement."and#8212;Euan Ferguson, Time Out
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“[S]uperb…”—Stephen Howe, The Independent Time Out
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"Perhaps the International Olympic Committee officials should read this ter Stephen Howe - The Independent
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“East Londons turbulent story as an area always culturally and economically on the fringe (and for centuries beyond legislative reach thanks to the city wall) is mapped out in frequently fascinating detail in this rather good history…..John Marriott convincingly suggests that the easts identity has always been distorted by its mythologies.”—Claire Allfree, Metro (London) Sinclair Mckay - The Daily Telegraph
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“[Marriott] is at his most perceptive and sympathetic in his accounts of the struggles of the working people in the East End and its age-old role as the nursery of the waves of immigrants who have enriched British society...”—Tim Knox, Country Life Claire Allfree - Metro (London)
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“Marriotts new history of the East End, Beyond The Tower is an expert guide to the area. The author gives an authoritative overview of East Londons history that is scholarly and lucid, handling complex economic and demographic issues with impressive clarity…..The narrative is enriched by descriptions of the vivid personalities and vital culture of East Enders…..Marriotts book gives us a fuller portrait of the communities of East London.”—Otto Saumarez Smith Tim Knox - Country Life
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“…..gripping….I hope we will see more of this: a new focus on East London encouraging a serious look at our history.”—Stephen Timms MP Otto Saumarez Smith
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“….. [Marriott] is at his most perceptive and sympathetic in his accounts of the struggles of the working people in the East End and its age-old role as the nursery of the waves of immigrants who have enriched British society: Huguenot weavers, Jews from Germany, Poland and Russia, the ‘lascars and Chinese of the Docks, and in more recent years, refugees from the former colonies of the British Empire, especially India.”—Tim Knox, Country Life Stephen Timms MP
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“….he has done a brilliant job of gazing past the theme-park standbys (from Jack the Ripper to the Krays) to give us a portrait of an area that once more - as in the 17th and 18th centuries - contains pockets of wealth, as well as steep poverty. The difference now is that the wealth is clustered upon the rivers edge, where once lascars, street children and old men and women struggled daily to survive. Perhaps the International Olympic Committee officials should read this terrific book as their chauffeured cars purr up and down the commandeered streets of Whitechapel next year.”—Sinclair Mckay, The Daily Telegraph Tim Knox - Country Life
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“[it has] juicy details throughout…Start reading now and come the Olympics, youll be able to reel off anecdotes with the best of them.” —James Pallister, Architects Journal Sinclair Mckay - The Daily Telegraph
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"Erudite but readable, this history of East London in its mutinous variety traces the flow of change in glorious detail."—Boyd Tonkin, The Independent James Pallister - Architects Journal
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and#8220;[S]uperband#8230;and#8221;and#8212;Stephen Howe, The Independent
Synopsis
England's great river through the ages.
Synopsis
Jonathan Schneer was born in New York City. He has taught at Yale University and is currently professor of modern British history at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. He has written three books about British labor and more recently a cultural history of London at the turn of the twentieth century titled London 1900: The Imperial Metropolis, published by Yale University Press.
Synopsis
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This bookone of six Pevsner Architectural Guides devoted to the buildings of Londoncompletes the eagerly-anticipated revisions to all the original guides and brings the account of the capitals buildings entirely up to date. The volume provides a historical introduction to the uniquely diverse buildings of East London and a detailed gazetteer of individual buildings. \n
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Synopsis
Publication of this book, one of six devoted to the buildings of London, marks the completion of the long-awaited revision of the original Pevsner guides and brings the account of the capitals buildings entirely up to date.
This fascinating volume provides a historical introduction to a uniquely diverse area as well as a detailed gazetteer of individual buildings. Along the Thames, relics of a powerful industrial and maritime past remain, and in the East End, Hawksmoors Baroque churches still tower over Georgian houses. The contributions of generations of immigrants are reflected in places of worship and cultural centers, while a century of social housing has produced architecture now of historic interest. Further out, medieval churches and country mansions stand among the suburban streets and proud civic buildings.
Synopsis
Described by Disraeli as a roost for every bird,” London has been home to figures as varied as Winston Churchill, Virginia Woolf, Mahatma Gandhi, and Jimi Hendrix. Since 1866 the city has commemorated the link between notable figures and the buildings in which they lived and work through a series of blue plaques. Lived in London provides an introduction to the many people and buildings honored through this program that connects people and place, drawing out the human element of the historic environment and helping to save a number of Londons buildings from demolition.
Synopsis
From Jewish clothing merchants to Bangladeshi curry houses, ancient docks to the 2012 Olympics, the area east of the City has always played a crucial role in London's history. The East End, as it has been known, was the home to Shakespeare's first theater and to the early stirrings of a mass labor movement; it has also traditionally been seen as a place of darkness and despair, where Jack the Ripper committed his gruesome murders, and cholera and poverty stalked the Victorian streets.
In this beautifully illustrated history of this iconic district, John Marriott draws on twenty-five years of research into the subject to present an authoritative and endlessly fascinating account. With the aid of copious maps, archive prints and photographs, and the words of East Londoners from seventeenth-century silk weavers to Cockneys during the Blitz, he explores the relationship between the East End and the rest of London, and challenges many of the myths that surround the area.
About the Author
“Jonathan Schneer guides us along a renowned element of the English landscape with an alert and seasoned eye, surprising us with stories drawn together by this common watery thread. Famous spectacles, private reveries, urban designsfrom these, he sketches a deeply satisfying survey of centuries, captured through the prism of history lived on and along the River Thames.”Deborah Valenze, Columbia University
“For anyone who wishes to learn of the history of one of the most important rivers in the world, this is the book to turn to. In engaging prose, Jonathan Schneer charts the vital and enriching role the Thames has played in English history.”Peter Stansky, Stanford University
“An excellent topic, and an altogether pleasurable book. The Thames is central to British history, but there is no other book like this on the subject. The Thames is clear, compelling, and frequently lyrical.”James Cronin, Boston University