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Vic Lee's London: A City of Amazing Streets and Tall Tales
A lively illustrated tour of London in the company of Vic Lee — artist, storyteller and self-confessed ‘ragamuffin from south-east London’.
Based on Vic Lee’s series of prints of London, this book covers a variety of different streets and areas across the city, from Walthamstow Village in the north to Lordship Lane in East Dulwich in the south, from Broadway market in the east to Portobello Road in the west.
Through over twenty different areas, he brings to life the local life and architecture . Interwoven around the places are stories and anecdotes that he has picked up during his researches and conversations along the way, as well as some that may or may not be true...
Areas included in the book Created in Vic Lee's inimitable, intricate illustration style this book is a work of art for lovers of London life and its special places
Based on Vic Lee’s series of prints of London, this book covers a variety of different streets and areas across the city, from Walthamstow Village in the north to Lordship Lane in East Dulwich in the south, from Broadway market in the east to Portobello Road in the west.
Through over twenty different areas, he brings to life the local life and architecture . Interwoven around the places are stories and anecdotes that he has picked up during his researches and conversations along the way, as well as some that may or may not be true...
Areas included in the book Created in Vic Lee's inimitable, intricate illustration style this book is a work of art for lovers of London life and its special places
- GenresHistoryNonfictionArt
176 pages, Hardcover
Published November 15, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 2, 2022
I received a free copy of Vic Lee's London, by Vic Lee, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.Vic Lee is a vert talented artist, I really enjoyed the neighborhood's in London, and the tidbits of information he gave on them.
December 27, 2022
N,S,E & W. Vic Lee has captured the streets of London seldom seen atop a Red Bus or in the back of a Black Cab.
Told with love and conveyed with his distinctive pen and ink style the author brings ‘colour’, creates imagination and stimulates interest in the familiar and less well known districts of our capital city.
Literally it is a work of work.
This is freehold craft of the highest quality. Often motivated by commissions he has forged a collection celebrating London. Caught in moments or time.
I love the detail and humour in both words and pictures; springing from historical foundations to reach taller than the buildings themselves. The words chosen are often like poetic prose and immerse you totally into each area of the metropolis.
COVID Diaries brought Vic’s work to my attention. This new volume based on London has underscored the appreciation I have for his work and his unique skill set. I cannot grow tired of regarding his books. His work live and breathe detail and overflow with information one look cannot fully take in on first sight.
It is a book all Londoners would willing wish to own and for those of us who visit as tourists, this amalgamation of villages and green spaces is a volume / guide many would want to keep and remember.
Above all it is a book about communication and how cities grow. About sharing stories that define who we are and where we’re from regardless that in the retelling facts blur with memory and where imagination is a ingredient of any good account and when enduring joy and sense of community is the desired result.
Told with love and conveyed with his distinctive pen and ink style the author brings ‘colour’, creates imagination and stimulates interest in the familiar and less well known districts of our capital city.
Literally it is a work of work.
This is freehold craft of the highest quality. Often motivated by commissions he has forged a collection celebrating London. Caught in moments or time.
I love the detail and humour in both words and pictures; springing from historical foundations to reach taller than the buildings themselves. The words chosen are often like poetic prose and immerse you totally into each area of the metropolis.
COVID Diaries brought Vic’s work to my attention. This new volume based on London has underscored the appreciation I have for his work and his unique skill set. I cannot grow tired of regarding his books. His work live and breathe detail and overflow with information one look cannot fully take in on first sight.
It is a book all Londoners would willing wish to own and for those of us who visit as tourists, this amalgamation of villages and green spaces is a volume / guide many would want to keep and remember.
Above all it is a book about communication and how cities grow. About sharing stories that define who we are and where we’re from regardless that in the retelling facts blur with memory and where imagination is a ingredient of any good account and when enduring joy and sense of community is the desired result.
November 20, 2022
This is one of those books that are a sort of appetizer when you read them in digital: they're gorgeous but you would need the paper book to appreciated them at best
That said I loved what I saw and would like to buy this book.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
That said I loved what I saw and would like to buy this book.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
December 13, 2022
Not a ton of text within the book, but I thoroughly loved looking through all of the illustrations of London. Since I received the ebook, I would imagine the streetscapes and illustrations would be even better in a physical book! After visiting London this past September, I enjoyed the book even more as it reminded me of walking through the streets and areas there.
Thanks to NetGalley for the copy!
Thanks to NetGalley for the copy!
September 27, 2022
MUST. PAY. MORE. ATTENTION. It was ages after downloading this that I realised the person behind it has been behind one of my very rare "one-stars-that-bloody-well-mean-one-stars" reviews, with their risible anti-establishment diatribe about the coronasniffles years. This isn't quite on that level, but is still full of more than enough to frustrate me.
That said, it proves the person behind this can present things very well indeed – and yet chooses not to. This looks at some of the more distinctive, neighbourhood-y streets of London, the places that maintain their individuality against the spread of charity-shop-tattoo-parlour-vape-shop-Turkish-barbers'-repeat we get elsewhere. They come to us in full-width panoramas – it's claimed prints of such sold worldwide – even though they can jump scale drastically from one spread to another, and we don't know what's looking East or West or what. Is the top half of the page one side of the road, the bottom the one facing, or what is Even Happening?
Once these semi-Stephen Wiltshire presentations have been had, we get the usual shtick of this person, with really unlikeable word art presentations of – well, of guff, mostly. We're invited to think of London as a birthplace of stories, those passed down in the street or from highrise balcony to highrise balcony. But dross passing as reality sits so unevenly with the veracity of the art you really do have to wonder why we're here.
Some of this is really, really good – there are pages of content here that show masterful detail, and a great eye for visual impact as a poster or other such image. If you're in Crouch End you might just fancy putting an errant lie about the place on your walls. But for the bulk of the world, not living near such districts, this really need not exist. I guess for the nichest of niche audiences this might be one and a half stars, but the lack of that option does make this look more or less as bad as I think it is.
That said, it proves the person behind this can present things very well indeed – and yet chooses not to. This looks at some of the more distinctive, neighbourhood-y streets of London, the places that maintain their individuality against the spread of charity-shop-tattoo-parlour-vape-shop-Turkish-barbers'-repeat we get elsewhere. They come to us in full-width panoramas – it's claimed prints of such sold worldwide – even though they can jump scale drastically from one spread to another, and we don't know what's looking East or West or what. Is the top half of the page one side of the road, the bottom the one facing, or what is Even Happening?
Once these semi-Stephen Wiltshire presentations have been had, we get the usual shtick of this person, with really unlikeable word art presentations of – well, of guff, mostly. We're invited to think of London as a birthplace of stories, those passed down in the street or from highrise balcony to highrise balcony. But dross passing as reality sits so unevenly with the veracity of the art you really do have to wonder why we're here.
Some of this is really, really good – there are pages of content here that show masterful detail, and a great eye for visual impact as a poster or other such image. If you're in Crouch End you might just fancy putting an errant lie about the place on your walls. But for the bulk of the world, not living near such districts, this really need not exist. I guess for the nichest of niche audiences this might be one and a half stars, but the lack of that option does make this look more or less as bad as I think it is.
March 2, 2024
After a disappointing trip around the world with Louis Vuitton, it was time to revisit someplace familiar with a tour guide that I trust; so off we went to London with Vic Lee for an exploration of amazing streets and a few tall tales! London during the Summer of Wonder (2016) was when I was introduced to Lee’s artwork (thank you, Tate Modern!), so I was extremely pleased to see that he wrote and illustrated a book about the city that he calls home, and which has a special place in my heart. Lee brings out London’s quirky side with his unique viewpoint, and this book contains much of the humour and unique observations that I’ve come to know and love about his artwork. We get a (-n albeit brief) tour of the four quadrants of the City via just over a dozen streets, which Lee presents in simple but ornate relief views that showcase the particular moments in time that he illustrated. As Lee explains in the introduction, even as he was illustrating, the landscape of the streets were constantly evolving, so these brief views stand as moments in time that will eventually become part of the tall tales that make up the ever-evolving city. I recognized few of the streets depicted, because Lee eschewed the expected tourist destinations and possibly more permanent landmarks for the everyday views - reminding us that London may be a central Destination (capitalization definitely intended), but it’s also a living, working, every day city for the people who call it home. The many public houses, corner pharmas, cafés, and kebab-eries come and go with the times, but the streetscape of London somehow remains the same magical place as ever - and Lee is just adding to its everyday tall tales with this impeccably illustrated volume.
December 4, 2022
Princess Fuzzypants here: I get many books to read and review and they come to me as e-books. A simple story and it does not matter but sometimes I come across books that I enjoy greatly but wish I had read in a paper format. There are just so many lovely sketches in the book of various streets around London. It does an admirable job of finding ones north, south, east and west. The sketches deserve to be seen up close as the detail that I was able to make out was impressive.
There is not a lot of text in the book but what is there is entertaining. A little history, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, it goes from it’s origin to its current state. Then there are tidbits where the author has taken something of its past and embellished such as where the name originated. It also talks about why it deserves a place in the book. It was informative and fun and I am sure I would have enjoyed it all the more had it been in a physical form.
Still and all, for fans of London, as I am, this is a delightful addition to anyone’s library. Five purrs and two paws up.
There is not a lot of text in the book but what is there is entertaining. A little history, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, it goes from it’s origin to its current state. Then there are tidbits where the author has taken something of its past and embellished such as where the name originated. It also talks about why it deserves a place in the book. It was informative and fun and I am sure I would have enjoyed it all the more had it been in a physical form.
Still and all, for fans of London, as I am, this is a delightful addition to anyone’s library. Five purrs and two paws up.
November 18, 2022
Vic Lee's London is an attractive book with a lot of interesting tidbits from London's past and present.
The artwork is detailed and primarily evokes atmosphere even with all the detail. A friend of mine who is from London, well, technically from near Manchester but lived in London for about 20 years, had a couple of these drawings bring back memories. That told me all I needed to know about the accuracy of the work.
I would recommend this anyone who enjoys this type of artwork and/or has lived in London. I've only visited a few times and felt they captured a lot of the ambience. Don't let theewhining's comments deter you, that guy has few remaining brain cells and makes the most asinine comments, not to mention his complete lack of, well, anything redeeming. Too bad perfectly good air is wasted on such a pile. Let the impotent boy whine, it makes him feel better.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
The artwork is detailed and primarily evokes atmosphere even with all the detail. A friend of mine who is from London, well, technically from near Manchester but lived in London for about 20 years, had a couple of these drawings bring back memories. That told me all I needed to know about the accuracy of the work.
I would recommend this anyone who enjoys this type of artwork and/or has lived in London. I've only visited a few times and felt they captured a lot of the ambience. Don't let theewhining's comments deter you, that guy has few remaining brain cells and makes the most asinine comments, not to mention his complete lack of, well, anything redeeming. Too bad perfectly good air is wasted on such a pile. Let the impotent boy whine, it makes him feel better.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
December 8, 2022
This review was originally published on NetGalley.com. I was given an ebook freely by NetGalley and the book’s publisher in return for a voluntary and honest review.
Vic Lee’s London: True Tales and Dubious Stories
By Vic Lee
This book of artwork and small stories and tidbits is magical. I’ve been to London three times and reading this book brought a smile to my face. The drawings hold a charm that a photograph can’t find. It captures the centuries old city as each street holds historic buildings next to modern.
In the introduction Vic Lee is pretty open to the fact that the stories he shares are more likely made up than real but like any strange you might overhear in the Underground or passing you on the street it adds flavor.
It’s the perfect book for lovers of the city, architecture and the way society morphs through the decades. It makes me want to book a trip back to London.
Vic Lee’s London: True Tales and Dubious Stories
By Vic Lee
This book of artwork and small stories and tidbits is magical. I’ve been to London three times and reading this book brought a smile to my face. The drawings hold a charm that a photograph can’t find. It captures the centuries old city as each street holds historic buildings next to modern.
In the introduction Vic Lee is pretty open to the fact that the stories he shares are more likely made up than real but like any strange you might overhear in the Underground or passing you on the street it adds flavor.
It’s the perfect book for lovers of the city, architecture and the way society morphs through the decades. It makes me want to book a trip back to London.
January 4, 2023
A beautifully illustrated volume of famous streets in London with a keen eye on details as well as interesting facts and stories, some well known, some completely new to me.
If you are interested in the book, definitely buy a print version as the ebook has quite a few pages where the font is just to small to be readable.
Talking about fonts: 5-6 less different fonts would have helped to get rid of the overly cartoonish feel.
Also a frame connecting the bits and pieces would have given a nicer round up.
If you are interested in the book, definitely buy a print version as the ebook has quite a few pages where the font is just to small to be readable.
Talking about fonts: 5-6 less different fonts would have helped to get rid of the overly cartoonish feel.
Also a frame connecting the bits and pieces would have given a nicer round up.
December 12, 2022
Vic Lee is obviously talented and possesses a strong, narrative view point. The style reminded me greatly of the zines of the 90s around the music scene. Is that a good thing, you could ask? It depends. The page is crowded and the information fairly races at you from the page. I'd call it the book equivalent of a strobe light. It's not really my bag anymore but I can't deny that it's doing something and it's doing it with every inch of the page.
March 8, 2023
So, the title here says "true tales", yet the title on the cover says "tall tales". Which one is it then? :-) I personally didn't take them very seriously, but they were very interesting & fun. Accompanied with illustrations of streets mentioned. Quite a niche type of book, basically a piece of art.
Want to Read
December 7, 2022Netgalley
pub date November 15, 2022
received December 7, 2022
Quarto Publishers - White Lion
pub date November 15, 2022
received December 7, 2022
Quarto Publishers - White Lion
December 28, 2022
This was fun. Loved the illustrations! Maybe even more than the stories and I loved those too. I can’t wait to see more by those author/artist. This would make a great gift!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews