A Traveller's History of London

by Richard Tames, Denis Judd (Preface by)

'Dip into Richard Tames's literary, lyrical "A Traveller's History of London"' - "The Sunday Telegraph". 'This volume is not so much a guide as a supremely civilised companion', - "Easters Daily Press". "A Traveller's History of London" aims to bring London's past alive to the resident, traveller and student, to reveal the city's hidden treasures and forgotten places and guide the reader to the sights and sites that can still be seen and enjoyed.

Genres: History, London, Travel, Nonfiction, Reference

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Richard Lawrence Tames (30 January 1946 -) is a British academic, historian, and author.

Tames lectured on history at Syracuse University London and is a Blue Badge guide. He has written over twenty books on different aspects of English history, including Shakespeare’s London on 5 Groats a Day.

Tames is known for bringing the past to life for students and general readers alike. He is also the author of An Armchair Traveller’s History of Oxford and An Armchair Traveller’s History of London.

Reviews

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic overview of English history, focusing on the many interesting eras of London. I wouldn't call it a guide book - more of a vibe book. If you read this right before visiting London, you'll recognize so many neighboorhood and street names and recall the general era of when they were important, or what it was really like centuries ago (for example there really were FIELD around St. Martin in the Fields.) Detailed and well-researched with typically dry British humor sprinkled here and there.

[Mike Biles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fabulous summary of London's history, packed with information and very nicely written. But do not buy this book expecting it to be a travel guide; it is - sort of - but it's not organised in a way to make it easy to look places up. It is, primarily, a narrative history - and a very good one.

[Jeroen Van de Crommenacker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This whole series is really great. It’s a great history book in itself, but nice to have it as a sort of travel guide as well.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because it gives a really good general history about London, and there's a lot of it! It starts with the Roman occupation and goes all the way up to faily recent times. I am a huge Henry VIII and Elizabeth I nerd, so I had that part of history pretty well covered, but I learned quite a bit about Charles I (only English monarch to lose his head) and World Wars I and II, from a Londoner's perspective.
Nothing is really covered in depth, but I would definitely recommend this book as a starting off point to explore historical topics that you may not have been aware of.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prep reading for my trip to England. Very general, but a nice, quick refresher.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit too brief.

[Dixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great & concise history of London for the 1st time traveler!

[Sitatunga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really rather good; concise, memorable, easy to grasp yet full of stuff I didn't know or needed reminding of.

[Barbc]

No