Chronicles of Old London: Exploring England's Historic Capital

by Kevin Jackson

Discover one of the world’s most fascinating and historic cities through 30 dramatic true stories spanning the rich history of London. Author Kevin Jackson takes readers through more than 2,000 years of British history with exciting essays on topics such as London’s origins, Richard the Lion-Hearted, Geoffrey Chaucer, Henry V, Shakespeare, Queen Victoria, Jack the Ripper, Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, the Beatles, and more. In addition, guided walking tours of London’s historic neighborhoods, illustrated with color photographs and period maps, take readers to the places where history really happened.

Genres: Travel, History, Nonfiction, London

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.

Kevin Jackson's childhood ambition was to be a vampire but instead he became the last living polymath. His colossal expertise ranged from Seneca to Sugababes, with a special interest in the occult, Ruskin, take-away food, Dante's Inferno and the moose. He was the author of numerous books on numerous subjects, including Fast: Feasting on the Streets of London (Portobello 2006), and reviewed regularly for the Sunday Times.
From: http://portobellobooks.com/3014/Kevin...

Kevin Jackson was an English writer, broadcaster and filmmaker.

He was educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge. After teaching in the English Department of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, he joined the BBC, first as a producer in radio and then as a director of short documentaries for television. In 1987 he was recruited to the Arts pages of The Independent. He was a freelance writer from the early 1990s and was a regular contributor to BBC radio discussion programmes.

Jackson often collaborated on projects in various media: with, among others, the film-maker Kevin Macdonald, with the cartoonist Hunt Emerson, with the musician and composer Colin Minchin (with whom he wrote lyrics for the rock opera Bite); and with the songwriter Peter Blegvad.

Jackson appears, under his own name, as a semi-fictional character in Iain Sinclair's account of a pedestrian journey around the M25, London Orbital.

Adapted from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the title, this isn't Old London, but London. The Beatles and Will and Kate make appears. If you know history, you know most if not all of the stories. The ebook is lavishly illustrated with photos. Over half the ebook is a detailed section of walking tours, making this more of a travel book than a history book.

Still, the writing is good and the pics are nice.

[Brian Kolda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and fun read. Lots of hidden info.

[Margi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doing research for an upcoming vacation, this book caught my eye. It is an interesting read on small snippets throughout the history of London. It starts it 60 A.D. and goes through Prince William's marriage. The back of the book has many walking tours through the city. I always like researching the history of places before I travel there, so this book was a good start for me. I have definitely marked some sights I need to see to coincide with the stories from this book.

[Hackbartha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first part of this book was simply a joy to read. Though considered a "Travel Book," it offers 30 stories highlighting important historical moments in London's history, as well as influential people who have left their mark. By no means is this an exhaustive historical account (the author makes no effort to provide such a report). Rather, the reader is left with a deeper understanding of what shaped London to what it is today, through an eclectic timeline (at times jumping a few historical centuries) including murder, royalty, sickness, brilliance and tragedy. From the Black Death to The Execution of Anne Boleyn. From the rise of Shakespeare to The Blitz. From The Great Fire to the Marriage of William and Kate. The reader will expand both their cultural and historical knowledge of this great city.
Part Two offers walking tours and maps of the city, also making this book a useful option to take with you during your next visit to London (it's a travel book, after all). The full color maps and photographs provide ample guidance. Enjoy!

[Molly H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently traveled to London and I was fortunate to have this book. The guidebook consists of 30 chapters of short histories of London. Since each chapter is brief, it’s easy to read in your spare time in various occasions, such as in the plane, in your hotel or in a park. With this knowledge of London history, it brings deepens my understanding about this fascinating city.
I especially enjoyed Chapter 14 “Shakespeare and the Opening of the Globe Theatre” and Chapter 24 “The Dinner that Launched Sherlock Holmes” since I am fond of British literature.

[Angela Misri · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I have to agree with a lot of the previous comments - this was a book comprised of short chapters pulling from some of the more famous moments in London's history. If you have read historical accounts of Britain and London in the past, chances are there were no real surprises here. But I agree with the comments about the light writing style, it was easy to read and had some fun little facts I hadn't heard of before. I was disappointed that the chapters accelerated as quickly as they did (the book moved from 1900-2011 very fast), but the first few chapters were the best in the book for me.

[Jason Kruse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable quick read taking the reader through the rich history of this amazing city. The book is almost split in two, with the second half devoted to walking tours that point out historical landmarks called out in the first half.

Having traveled to London many times, I enjoyed expanding some of what I knew while adding things for my next (hopeful) trip.

[Jessica Murphy · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst travel book I have read in a long time. The author is too judgmental, there is nothing about "old London". The book is divided into 2 sections - one of which is poorly researched walking tours and the other is the a series of 25 meaningless essays.

[Sir Raymond of Ivanhoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was so interesting. The walking tours at the end were a total history by themselves. Jackson is such a good writer. Read "Constellation of Genius: 1922, Modernism Year One.