A more concise work than Mary Cosh`s History of Islington, this was the first of the ` Past` series & is now in its third printing. It describes Islington`s beginnings as a village catering for livestock drovers (and their animals) on their way to Smithfield. Later it became a residential adjunct to the City, home to lawyers & small businesses. With the escape to the suburbs by affluent residents, the grim days came, even in the handsome squares, with overcrowding, dereliction & slums, only for Islington to rise again with the boost of the Victoria line & become a restored area with a wealth of theatres, restaurants & bars.