About this title: The city of London, which has been the setting for many of Peter Ackroyd's novels and biographies, is the subject of this far-ranging portrait. An unorthodox history, LONDON: THE BIOGRAPHY takes the city neighborhood by neighborhood and brings the city to life by means of profiles of its citizens--some famous, some not--as they endure the plague, civil war, the Great Fire of London, and the Blitz. A New York Times Notable Book for 2002.
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Description: Good. 2001-Paperback----Used-Good-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Edition: Reprint
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Anchor, New York, New York
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780385497718ISBN:0385497717
Description: Good. No Jacket. 0385497717 This book has some shelf wear as well as marks on the cover and pages. This book is 801 pages of a history of London. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Anchor Books, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780385497718ISBN:0385497717
Description: Very Good + No Jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Pages are clean and unmarked. Cover corners and edges are lightly rubbed. Binding is tight. 801pp. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780099422587ISBN:0099422581
Description: Fine. 0099422581 A masterpiece-the culmination and distillation of Peter Ackroyd's lifelong passion for the history and topography of London. Vividly anecdotal and brilliantly original. Perhaps the most important study of the city ever written, London confirms Ackroyd's status as what one critic called, "our age's greatest London imagination. " Much of Peter Ackroyd's work has been concerned with the life and past of London, but this new book is his definitive account of the city. For Ackroyd ... read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Anchor Books, New York
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780385497718ISBN:0385497717
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. VG/NW Bookplate @philabooks|booksellers. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 848 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Fine. Trade Paperback. Anchor, 2003. Fine Book. Overall, a clean and tight, lightly read copy. Media mail packed in protective bubble lined shipping bags, Priority in a Flat Rate Envelope. Shipped quickly. Prompt response to questions. read more
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Vintage Books, London, England
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780099422587ISBN:0099422581
Description: Good. No Jacket. 8vo-Between 7 3/4" and 9 3/4" 822 page book is in good condition with edgewear, scuffing of cover, creases on cover and spine, and bent page corners. This is a written account of London from 54 B.C. when Caesar first visited Britain to 2000 when London had mayoral elections. The author leads us on a journey both historical and geographical, but also imaginative. Every street, alley and courtyard has a story. It contains life-stories, folktales, and urban myths conjured up by ... read more
Edition: Number Line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Anchor Books, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780385497718ISBN:0385497717
Description: Very Good. 801 Pages. Measures: 6" x 9" Clean, tight copy with no writing or marking. The spine is not creased. Not an Ex-library book. Colorfully illustrated cover. Includes numerous glossy photographs, Chronology, 79 Chapters, Index, and a photograph with brief biography of the author. read more
Edition: First edition thus
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Anchor Books, New York
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780385497718ISBN:0385497717
Description: Very Good. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. xxvi, 801 pp., illus. (some col. ), maps, bib. notes, index; 24 cm. First published, 2000. Tight, clean copy. Spine slightly bowed. "London: The Biography is the pinnacle of Peter Ackroyd's brilliant obsession with the eponymous city. In this unusual and engaging work, Ackroyd brings the reader through time into the city whose institutions and idiosyncrasies have permeated much of his works of fiction and nonfiction. Peter Ackroyd sees London as a living, ... read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Vintage, London
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780099422587ISBN:0099422581
Description: Very Good- Oversized trade paperback, later printing, xxiii + 822 pages, plus illustrations in full colour and black-and-white; gently read, light creases, very clean and unmarked; one of my favourite books, original and absorbing. See also our listing for another Ackroyd masterpiece, Dickens. read more
Description: Good. Some wear on the dj. A corner on the dust jacket was removed (price). Otherwise book inside is in good and clean condition. Ship in box. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Anchor Books
Date Published: 2003-04-01
ISBN-13:9780385497718ISBN:0385497717
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780385497718. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780099422587ISBN:0099422581
Description: Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Anchor
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780385497718ISBN:0385497717
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Nan A. Talese
Date Published: 10/16/2001
ISBN-13:9780385497701ISBN:0385497709
Description: Good. 0385497709 Ex Library copy with usual stamps, stickers and library markings. Pages are unmarked--We provide prompt shipping and delivery confirmations-All items are guaranteed. read more
Edition: Reprint
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Vintage, London
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780099422587ISBN:0099422581
Description: Very Good. No Jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Reprint in paperback format, 8vo, 822pp, photo illustrations; card covers, monster book by arguably England's most interesting contemporary writer; VG+ Copy; NB This is a large heavy book; the postage for this item is outside that set by the various sites. However, for simplicity the price has been adjusted accordingly; no extra postage will be needed for this item unless purchaser requires overseas sending. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Vintage, London UK
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780099422587ISBN:0099422581
Description: Very Good ++ 9 1/4" Tall. 822 pages. Colour & B&W plates. Very light reading creases to spine, page-edges lightly yellowed o/w near fine & unmarked. read more
"This kept driving me crazy so I stopped reading it and feel much better now--thanks, Annmarie. Note to anyone who would write a "Biography of London": 1) Ending (and sometimes beginning) every paragraph with a resonant statement (e.g., "London is a city that lives for eating" "Everyone in London is aware of the weather"--these are not direct quotes, but you get the idea) gets tiresome quickly; 2) Substituting--or seeming to substitute--the word "London" in paragraphs talking about England, or Europe, or people in general does not make a book more about London; 3) Using Bartlett's Quotations as a chapter outline doesn't work too well; and 4) Introducing your book by saying that digressions are necessary in order to convey the scope of the subject, and then using said introduction as license to talk about anything you want anytime, really doesn't work for many writers, and especially not for historians.
I guess he's assuming we all know the "story" of London. London IS large and DOES contain multitudes, and there is nothing at all wrong with the subject matter. But please, someone else with some focus and skill write this book."
"The title of this book is misleading. A biography gives the impression of a linear story, starting with birth and early years, moving on through becoming and developing. This is more like a series of barely connected essays. I would not recommend trying to read this from cover to cover. I found it most enjoyable when picking it up, choosing a chapter that caught my fancy, and just reading that before putting it down to await the next time.
On the whole,it's a pleasant book to keep by the bedside for dipping in and out, and I did become aware of events that had escaped my attention, such as the Gordon Riots.
Both my husband and I have family roots going way back in London, so I had fun imagining my ancestors struggling in the East End, jostling to watch public hangings, discussing the latest sensational murder,or strolling down just about any street in London. Not a cuddly or rosy view of the city, but engaging just the same."
"Interesting in it's approach. At first may seem a bit scattergun in its order and choice of subject but (and especially if you've lived in London) you realise this is the only way to write about the big city. It does read like a biography more than a history, but a biography where someone has been disected by their moods rather than the order they've done things in."
"From the dirt under the buildings to the skies which they reach; a great book for anyone who has ever loved the London of literature or the London of the real world."
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