London Stories (Everyman's Library Pocket Classics Series)

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Here are dramatic views of such iconic events as the plague, the Great Fire of London, and the Blitz, but also William Thackeray’s account of going to see a man hanged, Thomas De Quincey’s friendship with a teenaged prostitute, and Doris Lessing’s defense of the Underground. These previously unpublished photographs by David Granick capture the streets and waterways of London’s East End in the warm hues of Kodachrome film. Henry III (1216-72) and Edward I (1272-1307) expanded William’s fortress, adding huge 'curtain' (defensive) walls with a series of smaller towers, and enlarging the moat. By very cleverly tying the stories together we are given an insight into how sharing by communicating can make people think in ways they may not have done before. William intended his mighty castle keep not only to dominate the skyline, but also the hearts and minds of the defeated Londoners.

London, on the other hand, though it has been battered past being easily impressed, is nevertheless very easily, almost childishly, charmed.

Something about a side-street being described as a little 'cut-throaty' in 1912 literature had me in bits. It includes both first person descriptions of important events such as the plague and the Great Fire of London, some short stories and some memoirs of life in London.

A walking stick lies by her chair, but you can see the dancer she has been as she gestures gracefully towards the grey clouds she has come to love.

At the time of the Second World War, London Transport (LT) had a reputation as a commissioner of high-quality posters. Panic filled the air and people working for the giant money machine seemed oblivious to a photographer working quickly and quietly in their midst. Imbued with poetry and playfulness, these spontaneous images capture the joyful cacophony of an ever-changing community.

The first, a major argument between Adam and Edmond in Adam's home was breathtaking in its intensity; while the second, an astoundingly moving scene between Tony, Parminda and Sarjit ended with a tiny comedic touch that was profoundly warming. In most of them, London, sometimes not even mentioned, is merely in the background, and not a character of its own, as I had expected. The stories themselves were a mixed bag, which is to be expected from a collection and there were some very good ones.

And in the 20th century, the re collections of JB Priestley were much more gripping than I'd have anticipated. I really felt like I was being transported through different eras in London's history, simply with short stories that travel through the city's history. These stories showcase the ways in which the King’s community is working side-by-side with the capital, its organisations and its people to have a transformative impact on London and the communities who live and work here.

More people died building Sir Christopher Wren’s Monument to the Great Fire of London than perished in the fire itself, two of them in a scuffle in which one builder accused another of stealing his bread and cheese. Which they did: but sharing a grave with three human skeletons dating back to 1822 were the body parts of a 12-foot-long Pacific walrus.

They worshipped in the Chapel Royal, kept a menagerie of exotic animals (which lasted until the 19th century) and welcomed foreign rulers at magnificent ceremonial occasions. P. Jenkins unless otherwise stated and must not be reproduced, copied or in any way used in printed, electronic format or any other media without the written permission of the author of this site. Tom Eckersley was an influential British graphic designer in the 20th century, who designed more than eighty posters for London Transport.