Fascinating glimpse of a vanishing London, detailing the history and the post-war state of the bomb-ravaged capital. Beautifully written, endlessly erudite, and full of interesting nuggets for even a long-time resident of the city. An excellent read. ( )

Whenever I (re)read anything by Morton I am always astounded – and thoroughly enjoy – his scholarship. And his casual, amazing access to people and places that most of the rest of us are disbarred from, by reason of upbringing (class?) and security. An early broadcaster with the BBC (British Broadcasting Company) and newspaper editor and journalist Morton became one of the most published and celebrated of the English ”travel writers”, writing books and broadcasting pieces that were perhaps most popularly reflected in his series on the lands and characters from the Christian religion ( In the Steps of The Master, … of Saint Paul, Lands of the Bible). Whilst I have read none of those I seemed to have acquired most of his other series; the In Search of.. and enjoyed the reading and rereading of these travels, wanderings and historical musings on London, England, Wales, Scotland, Italy and his ardent love affair with Ireland.
He can, in just one paragraph, combine references to the architecture of Rome, the divergent and contentious religions, the monarchy and the generosity of ordinary people from history … all before the ease of the internet research of our time.
In his apparently casual (and therefore deceptive) strolling around his usual daily haunts of London he brings the historical character of this great city alive for our enjoyment. A book to be carried in the travel bag, referenced before a visit and read with deeper understanding after, this affectionate work is a treasure.

Published in 1951, this book pictures a very different London from the one we know today. There’s no London Eye looming over the Thames, no Gherkin peering over the skyline, and not a single Starbucks or Costa Coffee to be seen. Instead, there are piles of rubble and cellars of bombed buildings now open to the sky, and there are people still recovering from the fear of living through the Blitz.

But there is much in H.V. Morton’s London that is familiar to anyone who visits the city today. Morton’s descriptions of the Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Westminster Abbey took me right back to my own visits to these sites. Morton doesn’t just describe what he sees; he talks about the history of each site and imagines what it would have been like to visit these places centuries ago. And he also gets into some places where the ordinary visitor cannot go, as when he walks through the Underground after the trains have stopped running.

This book is not an exhaustive guide to London. It’s one man’s observations, and his own preferences and biases do come through, but overall, I enjoyed the book. It’s well written, and, frankly, I just love reading about London, which made the book an easy sell. This isn’t the kind of book that would make it into my travel bag to carry around with me during the day during a London holiday, although it might make it into my suitcase so that I can revisit some of Morton’s descriptions in the evenings after seeing Hampton Court Palace or Greenwich. The information he provides would certainly enrich any visit.

See my complete review at my blog. ( )

just a paperback, but its a great read, this guy really knows and appreciates London ( )