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A Great and Monstrous Thing: London in the Eighteenth Century
London in the eighteenth century was a new city, risen from the ashes of the Great Fire of 1666 that had destroyed half its homes and great public buildings. The century that followed was an era of vigorous expansion and large-scale projects, of rapidly changing culture and commerce, as huge numbers of people arrived in the shining city, drawn by its immense wealth and power and its many diversions. Borrowing a phrase from Daniel Defoe, Jerry White calls London this great and monstrous thing, the grandeur of its new buildings and the glitter of its high life shadowed by poverty and squalor.
"A Great and Monstrous Thing" offers a street-level view of the city: its public gardens and prisons, its banks and brothels, its workshops and warehouses and its bustling, jostling crowds. White introduces us to shopkeepers and prostitutes, men and women of fashion and genius, street-robbers and thief-takers, as they play out the astonishing drama of life in eighteenth-century London. What emerges is a picture of a society fractured by geography, politics, religion, history and especially by class, for the divide between rich and poor in London was never greater or more destructive in the modern era than in these years.
Despite this gulf, Jerry White shows us Londoners going about their business as bankers or beggars, reveling in an enlarging world of public pleasures, indulging in crimes both great and small amidst the tightening sinews of power and regulation, and the hesitant beginnings of London democracy."
"A Great and Monstrous Thing" offers a street-level view of the city: its public gardens and prisons, its banks and brothels, its workshops and warehouses and its bustling, jostling crowds. White introduces us to shopkeepers and prostitutes, men and women of fashion and genius, street-robbers and thief-takers, as they play out the astonishing drama of life in eighteenth-century London. What emerges is a picture of a society fractured by geography, politics, religion, history and especially by class, for the divide between rich and poor in London was never greater or more destructive in the modern era than in these years.
Despite this gulf, Jerry White shows us Londoners going about their business as bankers or beggars, reveling in an enlarging world of public pleasures, indulging in crimes both great and small amidst the tightening sinews of power and regulation, and the hesitant beginnings of London democracy."
704 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 22, 2021
In 1700, London was the biggest city in England; by 1800, it was the biggest city in the world. This monster tome is, like its subject, huge – though, unlike its subject, it is also well organised, and not especially dirty. And good organisation is what you need when you're trying to get to grips with such a chaotic and eccentric age. Jerry White's approach is a thematic one, built around thirteen emblematic figures: so a discussion of William Beckford opens up into an examination of the effects of trading and commerce, while a précis of Eliza Haywood expands to take in hack writers, Grub Street journalism, and the quacks advertising Daffy's Elixir and Godbold's Vegetable Balsam (for asthma).
For those in the market for a book on this subject, this is three times the size of, say, Liza Picard's Dr. Johnson's London, and probably not three times as good. Picard gets to the point quicker, and sometimes White's structure boxes him in a bit – two early chapters on architecture do not respond well to this format, and end up being little more than a list of dates and buildings. However, White's more narrative approach does pay dividends as time goes on, and often makes you feel that you're getting a truly comprehensive account of certain subjects – his retelling of the John Wilkes affair is the best by far of the many I've read. His book also benefits from more recent research, especially in a very welcome chapter on the multiculturalism of Georgian London.
More to the point, his research is excellent, including not just all the secondary studies imaginable, but huge numbers of journals, diaries and letters which he brings in at regular intervals to spice up the text with generous anecdotal support. It is these extracts that make the book so often a joy to read: a discussion of London's many backstreet brothels is enlivened, for instance, by direct reference to depositions in court records:
The sheer scale and openness of London's prostitution was something that Londoners often wondered at, and that foreign visitors found utterly incredible. Beyond the eye-catching anecdotes, however, White draws some interesting conclusions from it all: ‘Perhaps insufficient attention has been paid by historians,’ he suggests, ‘to the role of the women of the town in the rise of democracy and the dilution of deference in the eighteenth century, with London and Londoners once more the democratic crucible.’ It's an intriguing point, because that ‘dilution of deference’ is one of the overarching themes that emerges from this book. London's parks, promenades and other public spaces were aggressively egalitarian, sites where ministers and duchesses mingled (whether they liked it or not) with coalheavers and dock workers. Again, foreign visitors – including some members of the royal family – found this hard to understand:
Such ideas frequently erupted into protests and rioting: this book is very good at showing the connections between the ‘Wilkes and Liberty’ riots of the 1760s, and the anti-Catholic Gordon Riots of 1780. It all reached a peak at the end of the century when France – which had lived under much greater political oppression – broke out into full revolution. In some ways, this was useful for the Establishment in England, where popular uprisings could now be branded as something for nasty foreigners.
But in many ways the same thing had already played out on this side of the Channel: White points out that there was more damage to property during the Gordon Riots of 1780 than during the whole of the French Revolution, and he refers provocatively to the destruction of Newgate prison that summer as ‘London's Bastille Day avant la lettre’.
London is a weird and messy place now, and it was even more so then. In many ways it reminds me of John Wilkes himself, who despite ‘a jutting jaw and a disabling squint’ was one of the biggest charmers of the age. He was universally known to be hideously ugly – but put him next to a pretty woman, he boasted, and it ‘took him only half an hour to talk away his face’. Few things could be more London than that.
For those in the market for a book on this subject, this is three times the size of, say, Liza Picard's Dr. Johnson's London, and probably not three times as good. Picard gets to the point quicker, and sometimes White's structure boxes him in a bit – two early chapters on architecture do not respond well to this format, and end up being little more than a list of dates and buildings. However, White's more narrative approach does pay dividends as time goes on, and often makes you feel that you're getting a truly comprehensive account of certain subjects – his retelling of the John Wilkes affair is the best by far of the many I've read. His book also benefits from more recent research, especially in a very welcome chapter on the multiculturalism of Georgian London.
More to the point, his research is excellent, including not just all the secondary studies imaginable, but huge numbers of journals, diaries and letters which he brings in at regular intervals to spice up the text with generous anecdotal support. It is these extracts that make the book so often a joy to read: a discussion of London's many backstreet brothels is enlivened, for instance, by direct reference to depositions in court records:
[Another watchman] was called in there one Night; and they asked me if I would see a burning Shame, and one of the Women stuck a lighted Candle – [Counsel.] Let us have no obscene Descriptions.
The sheer scale and openness of London's prostitution was something that Londoners often wondered at, and that foreign visitors found utterly incredible. Beyond the eye-catching anecdotes, however, White draws some interesting conclusions from it all: ‘Perhaps insufficient attention has been paid by historians,’ he suggests, ‘to the role of the women of the town in the rise of democracy and the dilution of deference in the eighteenth century, with London and Londoners once more the democratic crucible.’ It's an intriguing point, because that ‘dilution of deference’ is one of the overarching themes that emerges from this book. London's parks, promenades and other public spaces were aggressively egalitarian, sites where ministers and duchesses mingled (whether they liked it or not) with coalheavers and dock workers. Again, foreign visitors – including some members of the royal family – found this hard to understand:
George II's queen, Caroline, once asked Sir Robert Walpole what it would cost to enclose [St James's] park for the sole use of the court. He replied, ‘Only a crown, Madam.’
Such ideas frequently erupted into protests and rioting: this book is very good at showing the connections between the ‘Wilkes and Liberty’ riots of the 1760s, and the anti-Catholic Gordon Riots of 1780. It all reached a peak at the end of the century when France – which had lived under much greater political oppression – broke out into full revolution. In some ways, this was useful for the Establishment in England, where popular uprisings could now be branded as something for nasty foreigners.
But in many ways the same thing had already played out on this side of the Channel: White points out that there was more damage to property during the Gordon Riots of 1780 than during the whole of the French Revolution, and he refers provocatively to the destruction of Newgate prison that summer as ‘London's Bastille Day avant la lettre’.
London is a weird and messy place now, and it was even more so then. In many ways it reminds me of John Wilkes himself, who despite ‘a jutting jaw and a disabling squint’ was one of the biggest charmers of the age. He was universally known to be hideously ugly – but put him next to a pretty woman, he boasted, and it ‘took him only half an hour to talk away his face’. Few things could be more London than that.
November 14, 2013
White attempts an interesting approach to telling London's story through a series of themes rather than a chronological history. However, the amount of times he writes "we'll come to this later" grates on the reader and is evidence that this approach is not successful.
This book is full of sweeping generalisations and by focusing on London White commits himself to broad statements while a geographically broader subject matter would allow him to investigate the subtleties more fully.
As a Londoner the biggest failing of this book for me, is that it fails to encapsulate what London means to those who live and work in it. You never really get the impression that the author has an opinion on the city.
However, as a starting point for researching the period it provides plenty of anecdotes and the footnotes are excellent. This book therefore has some value to a student of the period, but there are much better choices available for those that want to read about the period for pleasure.
This book is full of sweeping generalisations and by focusing on London White commits himself to broad statements while a geographically broader subject matter would allow him to investigate the subtleties more fully.
As a Londoner the biggest failing of this book for me, is that it fails to encapsulate what London means to those who live and work in it. You never really get the impression that the author has an opinion on the city.
However, as a starting point for researching the period it provides plenty of anecdotes and the footnotes are excellent. This book therefore has some value to a student of the period, but there are much better choices available for those that want to read about the period for pleasure.
April 23, 2019
I am so impressed by the work that must have gone into this book. Both the research required to write such a long and yet compelling tome, and then to organize it in a manner that flowed. It's not a quick read but it's a great read. Highly recommended for anyone interested in London or 18th century history.
October 8, 2012
At nearly 500 pages long, this definitely isn't for those with a mere passing interest in history. If you have a strong interest in the development of London and its colourful past, then this is worth a look.
White goes into great detail about every aspect of life in the 1700s, from the living conditions of the rich and the poor, the places people shopped and drank coffee, the societies they formed, to the expansion of London itself, which by the end of the century was reaching out into new, posh suburbs in Marylebone and Mayfair. Yes, this is a heavy and exceptionally detailed volume, which can at times drag, especially towards the end, where one is left wondering whether they'll ever finish it.
While London's minority communities (black, Jews, gays) only get a few pages, the characters that White himself finds interesting, such as John Wilkes get tediously long chapters. Fair enough, not a lot is known about life for black or gay people in the 18th century, but the increasingly long winded focus on particular people towards the end lets down an otherwise good read. I look forward to reading his books on the 19th and 20th centuries next.
White goes into great detail about every aspect of life in the 1700s, from the living conditions of the rich and the poor, the places people shopped and drank coffee, the societies they formed, to the expansion of London itself, which by the end of the century was reaching out into new, posh suburbs in Marylebone and Mayfair. Yes, this is a heavy and exceptionally detailed volume, which can at times drag, especially towards the end, where one is left wondering whether they'll ever finish it.
While London's minority communities (black, Jews, gays) only get a few pages, the characters that White himself finds interesting, such as John Wilkes get tediously long chapters. Fair enough, not a lot is known about life for black or gay people in the 18th century, but the increasingly long winded focus on particular people towards the end lets down an otherwise good read. I look forward to reading his books on the 19th and 20th centuries next.
maybe
March 6, 2014Karen and Paul Bryant
August 4, 2022
This is a great reference book. White goes into great detail on all aspects of London during that period. In great depth he describes how the city expanded, discusses the people who lived there and how they lived, worked, played and died.The politics and religion dominated the growing city. All this was accompanied by maps and pictures.
It was not an easy read and I think you need to revisit again and again as there is so much information to take in.
Being fascinated with the history of London - this book is a piece of treasure.
It was not an easy read and I think you need to revisit again and again as there is so much information to take in.
Being fascinated with the history of London - this book is a piece of treasure.
July 9, 2013
I found this history of London fascinating. How the city grew. The people who inhabited London, how they lived, worked, played and died. Also the powers in London, including politics and religion. All this was accompanied by maps and pictures. On to the 19th century.
February 10, 2013
Seriously impressive, but not for the casual reader: http://effusionsofwitandhumour.wordpr...
June 7, 2025
I read a lot of books like this, and in general LOVE detail when it comes to a topic, but this author made some interesting choices on this one. We go from a few sparsely scattered interesting tidbits, like how reconstruction and improvements in infrastructure lead to greater mobility in the greater London area, to a street by street change log that the reader has no context for, unless they tract with a map handy or are VERY familiar with all the streets in London. I liked the inserts of actual first persona account quotes, but sometimes the extensive listing of items, such as what seemed to be every type of shop/profession and offered good within a specific district or set of streets, or "we will cover this/reference this later" was botha annoying and broke up the reading experience in an undesirable way.
I've read a few other books of a similar type about London, focusing more on the social aspects than the typical nobility or monarchy through history that kept with the theme more consistently without bogging down the reader in excess that doesn't add to the actual story. I've been to London a few times, but maybe it's the lack of detailed knowledge on my part of the city itself that made this a miss for me.
I don't think I'd pick up the rest of this "series" of London through time by this author, simply because most of the references go over my head, I'm way too lazy to read while looking at a map, and the meager facts that actually interested me or were broad stroked about the culture or people of that period were just too infrequent to hold my attention.
I've read a few other books of a similar type about London, focusing more on the social aspects than the typical nobility or monarchy through history that kept with the theme more consistently without bogging down the reader in excess that doesn't add to the actual story. I've been to London a few times, but maybe it's the lack of detailed knowledge on my part of the city itself that made this a miss for me.
I don't think I'd pick up the rest of this "series" of London through time by this author, simply because most of the references go over my head, I'm way too lazy to read while looking at a map, and the meager facts that actually interested me or were broad stroked about the culture or people of that period were just too infrequent to hold my attention.
May 4, 2023
Phenomenally detailed tome that does exactly what it says on the lid. The remarkable growth of the capital city in this particular century creeps forward in earlier chapters but races, madly out of control by the time we get to the 1790s.
Being a Hampstead resident I was disappointed that virtually no attention is paid to what was admittedly only a village at the time. But, on the grounds it is today subsumed into the capital, deserved better attention. It is only a minor quibble however.
I hope that for author Jerry White's sake, he employed an army of researchers. If he didn't, this must have been a life's work. The amount of research that went into each chapter is truly remarkable.
Being a Hampstead resident I was disappointed that virtually no attention is paid to what was admittedly only a village at the time. But, on the grounds it is today subsumed into the capital, deserved better attention. It is only a minor quibble however.
I hope that for author Jerry White's sake, he employed an army of researchers. If he didn't, this must have been a life's work. The amount of research that went into each chapter is truly remarkable.
November 19, 2017
An account with stupendous detail
This volume was, for me, not so fascinating as Jerry White's two previous volumes of London history. I liked his architectural, ecclesiastical and topographical history, but was somewhat overwhelmed but the multitude of details which he supplied when dealing with social history, and often turned the pages rapidly! However, the extent of his research was undeniable and may be manna for the social historian.
This volume was, for me, not so fascinating as Jerry White's two previous volumes of London history. I liked his architectural, ecclesiastical and topographical history, but was somewhat overwhelmed but the multitude of details which he supplied when dealing with social history, and often turned the pages rapidly! However, the extent of his research was undeniable and may be manna for the social historian.
March 19, 2022
Well researched and best listened to while wondering the city's streets. A lot to take in and will revisit in a few years or depending on the topic, search out the information.
Presented in chapters by industry, location and very engaging.
Presented in chapters by industry, location and very engaging.
May 8, 2023
Well, if you want comprehensive, this is it. I used it to fall to sleep.
March 24, 2024
excellent history
Very well researched book, highlighting the development of both London and the institutions of British developments in the early years of our democracy.
Very well researched book, highlighting the development of both London and the institutions of British developments in the early years of our democracy.
December 17, 2024
Interesting recounting of the people who impacted London in that Century. Almost too detailed for my purposes, but worth the read.
July 19, 2013
This huge book is not one to be read from cover to cover. It is divided into 13 chapters, each approximately 40 in length. Each chapter opens with a quick biography of a person who exemplifies by their life the conditions or issues of life for persons in that calling/profession/trade; from there, those conditions are explored. It is an interesting, but not always successful means on bringing a reader into 18th century. Given the amount of detail each chapter provides on public entertain, crime, apprenticeship, architecture, and politics, the narrative can appear and feel daunting. Sometimes, the text is simply boring, drown in unnecessary detail. Of course, not everybody is interested in everything, so the wisest course may well be to read only those chapters that interest the reader.
Read
September 3, 2013A splendid history that creates a vivid sense of what it was to be alive in eighteenth century London. The lives of the great and famous often give way to the lives of those who have been immortalized only in court documents and personal diaries but the portrait of the city is that much richer for being seen from such a perspective. The book has a roiling energy and is an ideal travel companion. After I finished it on the weekend, I spent a few days reading at random from Roger Lonsdale's edition of the Oxford Book of Eighteenth Century Poetry.
Want to read
July 30, 2016KOBOBOOKS
Reviewed by The Guardian (25 Mar 2012)
Reviewed by The Guardian (25 Mar 2012)
March 30, 2015
I did read this from cover to cover but wasn't put off by the length--I've read many longer. The thematic structure worked very well and allowed comprehensive coverage and cross references to the same people and places in different contexts. Now I'll have to re-read his c19 volume...
March 21, 2015
Long on facts short on interest. An extremely dry read. Old school history. It's as if the author wanted to fit in everything he'd learnt about 18th Century London (and given the book is over 550 pages, not including notes, he probably has...).
November 7, 2013
I've finished with this, at least for the time being ... back burner; much that I already knew but with an original & fresh perspctive and arrangement; excellent.
September 28, 2015
If you are a historical novelist working with 18th century London, meet your new bible.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews