A Short History of London

Author Simon Jenkins
Narrator Anthony Howell
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Publish Date 17 October 2019
Run Time 13 hours and 19 minutes
Format Audio
Genre European history: the Normans, History, Local history.

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

LONDON: a settlement founded by the Romans, occupied by the Saxons, conquered by the Danes and ruled by the Normans. This unremarkable place - not even included in the Domesday Book - became a medieval maze of alleys and courtyards, later to be chequered with grand estates of Georgian splendour. It swelled with industry and became the centre of the largest empire in history. And rising from the rubble of the Blitz, it is now one of the greatest cities in the world.

From the prehistoric occupants of the Thames valley to the preoccupied commuters of today, Simon Jenkins brings together the key events, individuals and trends in London's history to create a matchless portrait of the capital. Based in part on his own witness of the events that shaped the post-war city, and with his trademark colour and authority, he shows above all how London has taken shape over more than two thousand years. This is narrative history at its finest, from the most ardent protector of our heritage.

Critics Review

Fascinating and timely. Truly the story of the fabric we see before us. Required reading for every developer, planner or councillor who holds London in trust today

Griff Rhys Jones

Jenkins’s handling of the preceding two millennia is clear and informative . . . there are also nuggets and insights . . . accessible, clear and readable

The Observer

Simon Jenkins has written a vivid and deeply well-informed account of London’s history which is throughout much enlivened by his knowledge of London’s planning, buildings and topography, his admiration for terrace housing and London squares, his interest in how London has been depicted and described, and his detestation of so much insensitive modern development

Extremely informative and witty

‘He [Jenkins] brings much knowledge and experience to his defence of those streets, in this study of the battle for “London’s appearance – why it looks as it does today, more variegated and visually anarchic than any comparable city”

The Telegraph

A handsome book … full of the good judgements one might hope for from such a sensible and readable commentator, and they alone are worth perusing for pleasure and food for thought

Michael Wood, New Statesman on A Short History of England

Any passably cultured inhabitant of the British Isles should ask for, say, three or four copies of this book for Christmas…I can imagine no better companion on a voyage across England

Max Hastings, Daily Telegraph on England's Thousand Best Houses

A short, invigorating gallop over two and a half thousand years

Scotsman on A Short History of Europe

Simon Jenkins has written a remarkably brisk, vivid and deeply well-informed account of London’s history which is throughout much enlivened by his knowledge of London’s planning, buildings and topography, his admiration for terrace housing and London squares, his interest in how London has been depicted and described, and his detestation of so much insensitive modern development

‘I decided I’d reduce the height of a pile of recommended books by actually reading some of them. Thus I sampled the delights of Simon Jenkins’s A Short History of London

Sue MacGregor, broadcaster

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