Above London

by Robert Cameron

Above London. Visitors to England who marvel at this lush land on their first incoming flight now have a volume to treasure forever. Here are the famed gardens, the majestic estates, the granduer of centuries of architecture. Along with Robert Cameron's areial photographs Alistair Cooke's text is brimming with the raconteur's characteristic wit and insight. The pictorial essay begins at the Thames and follows the history of the beloved city well into the countryside.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Photography, London, History, British Literature

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Historic details brought to life with great aerial photos.

[David Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sure its a bit dated---but if you visit London, it is especially fun to spot the places you have been--from the air (but not with much altitude), and see a whole new London that you would never see on the ground. Or take a look and say, 'oh wow, if I only went a few blocks from this corner in that direction...' This bird's eye view is accomplished with quite a few interesting social and historical commentaries that relate how London became the city it was in 1980 (and still is for that matter as it hasn't changed that much). On top of that you have an incredible collection of the centuries of architecture that makes London such a fascinating artistic city at every turn of the corner---an excellent way to relive, or revisit, one of my favorite cities on this planet.

[David Linzee · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many picture books of London, so why am I recommending this old one? Not for the pictures, though they're fine, but for the captions. Picture book captions usually are mundane. "Here's Big Ben." But the ones in this book were written by Alistair Cooke, and they're tightly packed nuggets of history and architecture, dotted with apt quotes you haven't read before, full of personalities and conflict. All phrased with the urbanity and wit for which Cooke was famous. Especially if you miss Cooke every time you tune in "Masterpice Theatre" this is the book for you.

[Michael Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s something fascinating about aerial views of cities we are familiar with, the new perspectives on familiar buildings and monuments and street intersections. Here, you can see not only the precincts of Parliament and Westminster Abbey but even the huge mass of soccer fields at Hackney Green. Seen from the air, the architectural unity of places like Mayfair and Kensington Palace are evident. My only complaint about this book, actually, is that it isn’t more up to date!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I obviously love this book. The only complaint is that it was published in 1980 and I wish it was updated.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read of the aerial photos of various areas around London in late 1970s, esp. if compared with the Google Map in the modern days side-by-side!