United Kingdom Books

For anyone who has any interest in London beyond the superficial, this book is a feast. Definitive scholarly articles about virtually any London topic one could imagine. 1060 pages, 6 1/2" x 9 1/2" (i.e., a LOT of words)in the softcover edition I have. Bought it in London in November, 1996, for 25 pounds

I bought the hardcover edition of this great book some time around my first trip to London in 1986. And although I don't make it to that great city nearly as often as I would like (understatement), I feel like I know the city at least moderately well. A big part of the credit for that has to go to the many hours I've spent browsing, or doing concentrated research, in these pages. It's truly an outstanding reference.

Sadly, it's much too large to carry around as a guidebook. However, I returned from our recent London holiday with a long list of streets, squares, statues, parks, and other landmarks to look up in "The London Encyclopædia," and was uniformly pleased with the results. The authors have done a remarkable amount of research, but presented it in a way that is accessible and highly readable. For the casual visitor or the serious historian, this hefty volume is a resource that's not to be overlooked.

An excellent reference for anyone writing or reading about the history of London, The London Encyclopedia has enough detail to satisfy even the most nit-picky browser looking for an historical good time, and the serious researcher won't walk away unhappy, either. Yummy

This review refers to the Penguin Classics edition of Henry Mayhew's 'London Labour and the London Poor' which is an abridged version of the original four volume version published in 1851-52.

Though Henry Mayhew wrote several novels, his name is primarily remembered as the author/complier of this journalistic work 'London Labour and the London Poor.' The present selection gives the best part of the original four volume book, which captures exactly what the title says -- London labour and the poverty-stricken people living there.

The selction includes some figures or statistics about the working class people, such as the estimated amount of money these workers gain every day (and meagre one), but the most interesting part is the first-hand records about the ways of life of various lines of works in London, directly taken from the people engaged in these works.

The jobs (and some of them hardly deserve the name 'jobs') recorded here are, to name a few, street-sellers such as fried fish, watercresses, matches, baked potatoes, etc.; street-buyers such as old clothes or 'dust'; street-performers like 'conjurors,' musicians, or fire-eaters (with his own descriptions about how to eat fire), but the most fascinating is the records about boys (and some girls) who run away from parents, and lives in the street of London, who literally lives by begging or stealing.

Many interesting facts are recorded by Mayhew (or his assistants), directly from the persons the book deals with, and the original words spoken by there labourers are preserved as much as possible. To read, or to listen to them is one of the greatest merits of the book, for the languages of the interviewees retain the peculiar speeches you find in many Dickensian characters, and in fact you will realize that Dickens didn't exaggerate when he created Sam Weller.

And the London you see here is the London Charles Dickens knew. What did Jo in 'Bleak House' was sweeping in the street? Who gave that permission? What is the nature of 'the dust' you hear in 'Our Mutual Friend'? What was the regulations of the 'workhouse'? All these thing are answered in this vividly realized collections of the Victorian working class portraits.

This book is still a valuable source for anyone who is interested in Victorian period, and will be. Buy one now.

Henry Mayhew, having created this delightful encyclopoedia of humanity, has probably been ripped off more frequently than any writer since Shakespeare. His characters are so animated they have jumped full-fleshed from the pages of his books into the works of many another humorist or novelist, and we all owe more to him than we can know.

While the living conditions suffered by the poor were truly deplorable, Mayhew might have enjoyed the company of street people more than that of his peers. He put so much life into his characters we can see them, hear them, smell them. I only wonder what the street people thought about Mr. Mayhew, the journalist who bought them beers,inveigled invitations to tea, listened tirelessly to their stories. Mayhew is neither sentimental nor brutal, but rather a true and tolerant humourist, and I believe that, for all the misery depicted, his work was undertaken with great, and contagious, joy.

Henry Mayhew, founder of Punch magazine, wrote this four-volume sociological classic during the 1850's. If you are at all interested in the Victorian era, in British history, in London, or in urban history in general, this is a must-read. The Penguin version is abridged and is a distillation of the "best" of the multiple-volume set. This distillation is itself over 500 pages, so imagine the impact of the entire set! The utter destitution of the London poor is set out in such vivid detail than one cannot help being shocked at the conditions human beings were forced to live in in the greatest city of its time. The only fault I find with this book is Mayhew's occasional lapses into preaching. Otherwise a fine book

I thought high London prices would keep me from shopping on an upcoming trip, but this book has lots of budget-friendly shopping ideas. And I love the feature that lists a bit of culture nearby -- that way I can combine my love of shopping with a little art or architecture to alleviate the guilt. Highly recommended!

Whether you read it beforehand and map out your shopping or just read it on the fly as I did, you'll be glad to have this down-to-earth, practical information in an easy-to-reference guide. I had very little time in London to shop and I really wanted to find some specific things for myself and others. Although I've traveled fairly widely, I don't know London well. Even without a real language barrier, I wasn't sure I'd be able to get everything done, but I did. London Shopping Companion is more than a companion, it's a true friend. If you want to find all your must-buys-in-London easily, then this little book is a must-own.

I used this book to plan a recent trip to London and found it easy to use, quite informative, and just plain fun to read. I used it to plan shopping in combination with sightseeing -- so I really appreciated the book's organization (by area) and its lists of attractions and restaurants near to each shopping district. The store descriptions are accurate, and I was able to find unique items, for myself and as gifts, in all price ranges. Thanks to The London Shopping Companion, I was totally organized and ready to hit the ground running when I landed in London.

The translation of Mary Stuart that you see when you "Look Inside" is not the same one that is being sold on this page!!!!

This is the play that was used in the 1987 (?) movie, "Anne of Avonlea." It's really neat!

A brilliant psychological drama. Schiller begins with presenting Mary as the epitome of passion and misguided sincerity, with Elizabeth as the epitome of rational calculation and statecraft. With superb plotting, he stages their confrontation to emphasize their common features and with elements of role reversal. The confrontation essentially purifies their original characters, heightening the contrast between passion and calculation. I don't read German but this translation contains a great deal of eloquent language and an appropriately Shakerspearean flavor.

There have been many biographies of Mary Tudor, the British contender against Elizabeth I for the throne of England. History being largely written by the winners, Mary Tudor became notorious for her lethal persecution of the Protestants, her unceasing efforts to deliver Britain to the Catholics, the loss of Calais to the fledgling British empire, and her decades long struggle to gain control of Britain that was to result in years of confinement by Queen Elizabeth and her eventual death at the headsman's axe at an advanced age. In "Mary Tudor: The Tragical History of The First Queen Of England", historian David Loades (Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Wales and an Associate of the Centre for Early Modern History at the University of Oxford) fully explores the dimensions of a complex life in a time of political volatility, religious wars, male domination of government, royal marriages for political advantages, personal devoutness, and a woman who was in many ways stronger than any of the men with whom she associated in her quest for royal power and Catholic supremacy. "Mary Tudor" is an articulate and very highly recommended work of impeccable scholarship that should be a part of every academic library British History & Royal Biography reference collection and supplemental reading list.

David Loades wrote a biography of Queen Mary Tudor fifteen years ago. His earlier work has been revised and looked at afresh in this biography written for National Archives in the UK. His biography has been based primarily on original documents about Mary in the archives - and many of these have been reproduced in this publication as well. Its something that serious historical authors used to do in earlier centuries and its actually welcome to see the practice return as a way of preserving this information if the original is ever lost (and that happened quite a bit).

Loades has come to some unusal conclusions about Mary with a fresh look at her life - but I would also say that this is a very balanced assement of this woman who lived though a bitter divorce and the overthrow of all she loved in her youth. If you have an interest in Mary Tudor this book is one you should pick up.

Bloody Mary

David Loades is an authority on Mary Tudor and a fine author. Just a point of clarification on the earlier review, however; the first reviewer confuses Mary Tudor and Mary Stuart, two very different rulers. Mary Tudor was the eldest daughter of Henry VIII and the only surviving child of Catherine of Aragon. She succeeded to the throne in 1553 after her brother Edward VI and died in 1558. She has indeed been criticized for what many consider her overzealous push to return England to Catholicism, but in her defense, she was doing what she thought was right.

On the other hand, Mary Stuart was the cousin of Elizabeth I (who was in turn the younger sister of Mary Tudor and daughter of Anne Boleyn) and was the one ultimately beheaded during Elizabeth I's reign in 1587. It should be noted that Elizabeth I herself was briefly imprisoned by Mary I (Mary Tudor) but was released unharmed.

This is a fascinating period of history and this book is a good starting point to learn more about Mary Tudor's brief and sad reign. Mary Stuart's life is also very interesting and Amazon carries several good biographies on her as well.

The history of sport is littered with nostalgic club histories which read like a laundry list of things which happened and with the worst kind of academic tripe which either belabours the obvious or dresses up the absurd with continental "Theory". This book does neither.

It is insightful and devastating in the way in which the author dismantles the conceits of imperialism through the prism of sport in a way reminiscent of C.L.R James' Beyond a Boundary.

Forget Niall Ferguson's apologia for empire, read this and see the way in which colonizers and colonized worked together and conflicted simultaneously. That's the interesting part of the story. Not paens to the good old days when people knew their place.

I was assigned this book in an upper level course on the history of imperialism. We read a LOT of things that were competely opaque and seemed more intent and showing how clever they were than actually saying anything concrete about the ways imperialism work.

This book however was not like that at all. It talks about how imperialism actually played out on the ground, if you'll excuse the pun.

I know discourse is important (and so does McDevitt) but so is the material world and that is what is convincing about May the Best Man Win. It was a also a really good read with interesting characters which allowed the stories told here to make the points rather than the usual academic jargon we were forced to read.

It did make me think the English really were b***ards, though maybe that was the point.

This wonderful book does an excellent job of both providing in-depth and thought-provoking historical analysis while maintaining the fast pace of a sports book. It also is very illuminating of the everyday workings of imperialism.

This is a book that looks a grammar book about verbs but actually a significant study about verbal "semantics" and aspects of words. So it is somewhat technical and it could be difficult to read it quickly. Nevertheless the descriptions of verbal usages are so suggestive for ordinary people, not students on linguistics, as to understand the correct way of speaking and writing the English words, which have a lot of difficult faces. I expect other books concerning verbs to be as descriptive as this work by Professor Leech.

Geoffrey Leech's book is an excellent reference tool that is concise and intelligently organized. It covers material you won't find in most style and usage guides. There's just enough information on each topic to make the coverage throrough but not overly complex. Difficult subjects, such as backshift, the subjunctive, and modality, are covered with clarity and sufficient detail. Whether you agree with every position or not, you'll find the treatment informative and useful. This book should be on the desk of anyone who wants to understand tense, mood, aspect, and the breadth of expression accessible through the use of English verbs.

Exhaustive and inspiring, this is a monumental descriptive study on English verbs and their semantic aspects. For non-native English learners who have trouble understanding the bahaviors of English verbs, no other book could be more useful. The author, Geoffrey Leech, says in Introduction that one of the main causes that make English a difficult-to-learn lanaguge for non-natives is somewhat elusive behaviors of its verbs(or especially auxilialiy verbs), and my own experience(I am a non-native learner of English) strongly bolsters this view, because notwithstanding the fact that I have spent many years learning the language, I cannot comprehend the behaviors of many ordinary English verbs, far less those of auxiliary ones, and this to such a degree that still now, I cannot write a brief passage confidently without having it proofread by native speakers. Hence it is that this book, which analyzes closesly and elucidates exaustively the semantic aspects of basic English verbs, is a must for non-native learners-at least if they are to learn grammatically correct English.

This book is great for identifying English and British hallmarks. Has a little bit on other European hallmarks which is very useful. It's a small size, so you can easily put it in your purse when going antiqueing (sp?). I'd definently recommend this to anyone seriously interested in silver.

This little book delivers the goods ~ well-organized marks for the English silver sleuth. Also has a credible selection of silver styles thrown in as a little bonus.

This book is a must have for anyone who collects antique English silver. Not as comprehensive as a lot of others I have seen which is actually a plus since it fits comfortably in your pocket when you go antiquing. I keep my copy next to my computer so I have it handy while surfing the silver listings on eBay. Well worth the price.

this handy guide is also great (see streetwise maps for maps). Be sure to review them before you leave to be sure they cover the area you will be in because they are mostly "on the beaten path" items. I suggest also doing research on Frommers.com to be sure you dont miss something not covered in these books. These books are compact and easy to carry while traveling in city. Did not use for the resturaunts that is something that you need to find by exploring or research blogs but these hit the major sites in easy to read categories with simple maps. I would buy these for all my city travels.

I'd like to echo Language Nut's praises of this book. For in-hand, pocketable street guides, Moon Metro London is second to none. Our brief trip to London recently was a breeze as I was able to carry this in my pocket and pull out when necessary, without looking like an obvious tourist.

Each district map is detailed enough for walking around the city, and allows you to check where you are without unfolding a 5' by 5' paper map of the entire city.

While it did cover the major sights and locales of London, I would suggest using a more detailed guide book for planning purposes. This one was fantastic for taking with you to navigate the city, but prior to the trip you will likely want a more exhaustive guide to the city.

This slim 120 page London guide was wonderful for out trip to London. This year I have ordered the Paris guide for out trip there. Each London "neighborhood" (distict section of the city) is briefly covered for conviences and highlights (i.e. hotels, restaurants, amusements, shops and sights) and then fold out into a wonderful laminated street map of the area. The book also contains a section with one page devoted to each major "sight"; and sections on restaurants, shops, city essentials and a street index. A color coded metro is also included at the back of the book. Invaluable book: the most useful that found while in London.

Any fan of Diana's will know why we mourned (and still mourn) her passing. This book however is fascinating for it's analysis of those mourners who said things like "I never knew how much Diana meant to me until she died" and "I cried more at her death than at my own father's". Why did Diana's death have such an enormous impact on a global scale, even for people who claimed not to have liked her during her lifetime? It was more than just pity at the way a young life had been taken too soon. This book is an excellent examination of the huge significance of the gobal mourning and grief that was displayed in 1997.

Any fan of Diana's will know why we mourned (and still mourn) her passing. This book however is fascinating for it's analysis of those mourners who said things like "I never knew how much Diana meant to me until she died" and "I cried more at her death than at my own father's". Why did Diana's death have such an enormous impact on a global scale, even for people who claimed not to have liked her during her lifetime? It was more than just pity at the way a young life had been taken too soon. This book is an excellent examination of the huge significance of the gobal mourning and grief that was displayed in 1997.

Any fan of Diana's will know why they mourned her passing. This book however is fascinating for it's analysis of those mourners who said things like "I never knew how much Diana meant to me until she died" and "I cried more at her death than at my own father's". Why did Diana's death have such an enormous impact on a global scale, even for people who claimed not to have liked her during her lifetime? It was more than just pity at the way a young life had been taken too soon. This book is an excellent examination of the huge significance of the gobal mourning and grief that was displayed in 1997.