Life in Europe was fundamentally changed in the 16th century by the astonishing discoveries of the New World & of direct sea routes to Asia. To start with England was hardly involved & London remained a gloomy, introverted medieval city. But as the century progressed something extraordinary happened. Stephen Alford`s evocative, original & fascinating new book uses the same skills that made his widely praised The Watchers so successful, bringing to life the network of merchants, visionaries, crooks & sailors who changed London forever. In a sudden explosion of energy English ships were suddenly found all over the world
- trading with Russia & the Levant, exploring Virginia & the Arctic, & fanning out across the Indian Ocean. London`s Triumph is above all about the people who made this possible
- the families, the guild members, the money-men who were willing to risk huge sums & sometimes their own lives in pursuit of the rare, exotic & desirable. Their ambitions fuelled a new view of the world
- initiating a long era of trade & empire, the consequences of which we still live with today.


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More extraordinary but true stories from London`s history. In this fascinating follow-up to his bestselling London`s Strangest Tales, Tom Quinn makes a further foray into the weirder side of the capital, bringing us a splendiforous collection of bizarre-but-true stories that explore a thousand years of London`s history. Discover the ghosts that stalk West End theatres, the mysterious mummy who lives in a City church cupboard, & secret tunnels under the Thames. Find out why there`s a TARDIS at Earl`s Court, why frogs once rained from the skies, & why the mulberry tree in the gardens at Buckingham Palace isn`t quite what it was supposed to be. A dip-in-&-outable treasure trove of London lore, London`s Truly Strangest Tales is both an ideal gift for dyed-in-the-wool Londoners who want to find out more about the great city they live in, & the perfect souvenir for people just passing through. Word count: 58, 000 ...

Since the 11th edition of London`s Underground was published in 2010 there have been many important changes on the capital`s underground system, not least of which is the significant investment which has gone into the underground network, which is now run by Transport for London which has been implementing its Tube Improvement Plan since 2003 to create extra capacity on the crowded system. Among the many changes to be recorded is the legacy of massive planning & development required by the 2012 London Olympics, the new S Stock that is being introduced on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City & Metropolitan Lines, the 2009 stock on the Victoria Line, & old stock withdrawn, signalling updated on the District & Victoria Lines & air conditioning introduced on the new sub-surface stock. 2013 also saw a number of events on the network to celebrate 150 years of the London Underground. The new 12th edition brings the work completely up to date with all the changes that have occurred since 2010, &

Includes:: a whole new range of illustrations to accompany the text.

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This book celebrates the many styles of station building on the London Underground. None of the original station buildings from 1863 remains, but there are nevertheless some survivors from the time of the opening of the District Railway in 1868, such as Gloucester Road & Bayswater. ...

London exists because of the Thames. The city`s history is inextricably bound to the river & its tribitaries, & to the man-made water channels created during the nineteeth century
- the canals around the north of London & the Docks to the east. In LONDON`S WATERSIDE WALKS, one of the city`s experienced Blue Badge Guides, Brian Cookson, describes 16 walks, selected to reflect the history & modern developments related to these waterways. The walks cover many of London`s most stunning views & its most beautiful scenery, as well as much compelling waterside industrial archaeology. Routes range from the riverside village of Richmond with its famous view from Richmond Hill & the remains of Henry VII`s Tudor palace to the extrordiary mix of old & new industrial & commercial structures around Docklands & the Thames Barrier. The walks were developed for the highly rated City Literary Institute courses of combined lectures & walks on London`s waterways, & have been tried & tested several times by the author. Using his experience & local knowledge, David has produced commentaries that are a pleasure to read & clearly point outwhat to look for, both the popular tourist attractions & significant lesser-known sights. The walks are designed to last about two hours, including stops & visits to places of interest with free entry.
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The history of London s West End cinemas dates back more than one hundred years. This book details all of them, in chronological order, totalling well over one hundred. The best of the West End s cinemas were outfitted to a very high standard to match their role as showcases for new films, hosting press shows & premieres, as well as a being a magnet for film enthusiasts anxious to see films on exclusive premiere runs. Even now, when films are available everywhere at the same time, the West End s cinemas are a vibrant attraction to visitors from all over the world as well as for Londoners having a night on the town. The oldest survivor is the Cineworld Haymarket, dating back to 1928 as a cinema. Other famous cinemas with a long history include the landmark Odeon Leicester Square & nearby Odeon West End as well as the Curzons in Mayfair & Soho, both replacing earlier picture houses. Many cinemas survive in other uses, such as the Rialto as a casino & the New Victoria as the Apollo Victoria live theatre. But there are also dozens of long vanished cinemas, some lasting only a few years & forgotten, others like the original Empire (1928 to 1961) the largest cinema ever built in the West End still living on in fond memory. There are interior views as well as exteriors of most of the cinemas, & over 50 illustrations are in full colour. This is a valuable & comprehensive addition to the history of the West End that will appeal to cinema enthusiasts as well as social historians & students of London & of architecture & design.” ...

Interesting pocket-size map/guide with biographies & portraits of 13 women artists who lived in the capital, plus a street plan of central London showing locations where they lived and/or worked. The selection

Includes:: not only British artists, but also French (Madame Tussaud, Elizabeth Vigee-Lebrun & Rosa Bonheur), an American – E. Patience Wright & the Swiss painter L. Angelica Kauffman. Each artist has a panel with a portrait, biographical notes, plus directions to the location (s) associated with her life & work. Two more panels provide notes on The Female School of Design – the first women’s school of art, plus the first Royal School of Art Needlework. The plan of central London highlighting locations associated with the artists is thoughtfully supplement with enlargements for each area to make the relevant addresses easier to find. Also included is a list of 9 more notable women artists with addresses of their homes or studios, plus useful web links.

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Guida di Londra in Italiano (all text is in Italian), del Touring Club Editore, pensata per accompagnare il viaggiatore alla ragionata scoperta della citta’, con particolare attenzione agli aspetti culturali, storici, architettonici, e artistici. La capitale viene esplorata attraverso 31 itinerari pedonali nel centro, affiancati da 4 itinerari automobilistici nelle zone limitrofe alla citta’. Famose per la loro reputazione di manuali adulti, esaurienti, ed estremamente affidabili, le guide verdi del Touring Club sono ricche di informazioni culturali, concentrandosi su aspetti storici, architettonici ed artistici. Essenziale per chi incontri Londra per la prima volta e voglia perdersi nelle sue storie facendosi guidare da un compagno di viaggio esperto, questa guida rimane anche un vademecum per il viaggiatore curioso, organizzato e che desidera approfondire la sua conoscenza della capitale durante una nuova visita. La guida suddivide la citta’ ed i suoi dintorni in 31 itinerari pedonali raggruppati geograficamente in sette sezioni: centro, nord, sud, est, ovest, le zone piu’ periferiche (pero’ sempre tutte all’interno della Greater London), ed una sezione speciale dedicata ai grandi musei, dal British Museum alla Tate Modern. Ogni percorso ha una parte introduttiva che inquadra la zona ed e’ descritto in dettaglio, sottolineando i luoghi di maggior interesse. Ogni itinerario e’ inoltre affiancato da una piccola mappa dove sono anche segnalate le fermate della metro. In piu’, oltre ai 31 itinerari pedonali nella Grande Londra, c’e’ una larga sezione con quattro itinerari automoblistici in zone limitrofe alla capitale: la Valle del Tamigi con Oxford e Windsor; l’ East Anglia e Cambridge; il sud-est con Canterbury, Brighton e le bianche scogliere di Dover; e il sud-ovest con la New Forest e l’isola di Wight. Di nuovo le descrizioni di ogni percorso sono precise e dettagliate con piccole mappe annesse.A parte una esauriente sezione sulla preparazione del viaggio, tutte le informazione pratiche e turistiche sono incluse con notizie e indirizzi in un allegato separabile, che contiene anche un piccolo stradario del centro della citta’ e una cartina della metropolitana. Nell`allegato sono descritti e recensiti in tutto 219 alberghi e B&B, 298 tra ristoranti e pub (con una piccola descrizione dei piatti piu’ tipici), locali e bar, e negozi e mercatini. La guida include inoltre un succinto glossario di termini architettonici e artistici, ed un indice di nomi. Tutta la guida e’ in Italiano. Una piccola curiosita’. Nella parte dedicata a Covent Garden, fra il famoso mercato ed il Coliseum, la guida parla di _ Stanfords_, “il tempio dei viaggiatori, dove si trova qualunque tipo di mappa, guida turistica o letteratura di viaggio”...* IL LIBRO E’ IN ITALIANO**ALL THE TEXT IS IN ITALIAN ONLY.* ...

Italian Edition. Secret London
- Bars & Restaurants in the Jonglez series of guides; profiling a range of European cities as well
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A London Map/ Guide in Spanish provides short break tourist information on what to see & do & where to visit when & why. Visitor information found in the guide & displayed on the map sheet is colour coded by type, numbered & cross referenced. The map shows London ...