A London Year: 365 Days of City Life in Diaries, Journals and Letters

by Travis Elborough (Compiler), Nick Rennison

A London Year is an anthology of short diary entries, one or more for each day of the year, which, taken together, provides an impressionistic portrait of life in the city from Tudor times to the twenty-first century. There are more than two hundred featured writers, with a short biography for each. The most famous diarist of all - Samuel Pepys - is there, as well as some of today’s finest diarists like Alan Bennett and Chris Mullin. There are coronations and executions, election riots and zeppelin raids, duels, dust-ups and drunken sprees, among everyday moments like Brian Eno cycling in Kilburn or George Eliot walking on Wimbledon Common. Vividly evoking moments in the lives of Londoners in the past, providing snapshots of the city’s inhabitants at work, at play, in pursuit of money, sex, entertainment, pleasure and power, A London Year is the perfect book for all who live in or love this eternal, ever-changing city.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, London, Biography, Travel, British Literature, Memoir

608 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited to get a copy of A London Year through GoodReads. As one might guess from the title, the book is rather ambitious: it seeks to capture London through diaries, journals, and letters written by its inhabitants and visitors from the 1500s to the present day. The diarists include not only the usual suspects such as Samuel Pepys and Fanny Burney, but authors, actors, politicians, scientists, a monarch, and regular citizens who just happened to keep diaries. Several entries are presented for each day of the year, interspersed with photos and illustrations. Each month is marked by a map, with the maps becoming more modern as the year progresses. Like London, the book is sizable but the format lends itself to episodic reading- I read it in small chunks as I had time in the evening. (At over 500 pages, this is not an ideal book for carrying to read on the bus or train, unless you're planning on the electronic version.)

I thoroughly enjoyed the book- the authors had a large task in sorting through the material available and deciding what should be included, and they have done an admirable job. There is an even mix of entries from various time periods, and it seemed that anytime I thought to myself that I hadn't seen a particular century or era represented in a while, it popped up on the very next page. It covers not only obvious major events such as the Blitz or the Great Fire, but also smaller ones, such as the underwhelmed reaction to the return of Queen Henrietta Maria or the explosion of a munitions workshop, as well as more personal happenings such as a shopping trip or a meal with friends. There are also moments that are amusing in hindsight, as Londoners give their opinions on new-fangled machines and notions. (One of my particular favorites was the man shaking his head at his friend who declared circa 1900 that within twenty years there would be no more horse-drawn omnibuses in London. 'A bit of a dreamer' was the diarist's verdict.)

Some things found in these pages are lost to modern Londoners- frost fairs, grazing animals, actual docks in the Docklands, and executions are examples that spring to mind. But it also brings home that some facets of London life are timeless- wars break out and end, kings and queens come and go, technology changes through the years, but through it all the people of London are always up for a spectacle and there are always Londoners grousing about prices, landlords, the difficulty of getting around town, and the fact that the city isn't what it used to be.

[Rachel Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book rather randomnly on 22nd August. Happily enough, the first entry for that day was by the Ur-diarist Samuel Pepys, as well as entries by John Wesley and Alan Bennett. Other diarists were less well known, but fortunately, there is a biography (as well as an index should you want to read by subject rather than by date).

I read the book each day (catching up if I went away); sometimes there was just one entry, sometimes four or five, written by everyone from Edward VI to Dickon Edwards (commenting on the 7th July London bombings) to Vincent Van Gogh, who taught for a while in Isleworth (he wrote almost as poetically as he painted) to black Briton, Ignatius Sancho, who remarks in 1777 that he went to Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens and was "stared at and followed but not much abused”. Those writers unaware of future publication are often the most interesting:- John Constable moves to Hampstead and, as well as remarking on the view (you could see all the way to Gravesend in 1827), he writes about how much he's paying in rent (less than in Fitzrovia).

There is a lot of plus ca change: Bloomsbury Group survivor, Frances Partridge complains about screaming children in Hamleys, H.C. Beeching talks about how crowded the shops are at Xmas, Aaron Burr (former Vice President of the US) can't get a coach out of London on 21st December. Byron grumbles about having to go to too many parties, W.N.P. Barbellion moans about the other people on the bus. In 1929, Charles Lamb whinges that London has changed.

The book reminded me of Austerity Britain by David Kynaston, set in a much shorter time-frame (1945-1951, rather than 1550-2010), who used Mass Observation reports and diverse diary entries to write about life after the war. In that book, we saw that whilst some people wrote about the events of the time, others' concerns were about what to have for tea or the price of nylons.

My only criticism of the compilation is that there wasn't enough of the 20th century. More happened in those hundred years than wars, Michael Palin's residents' meetings, and John Fowles moving house.

[Alex Sarll]

Read along with over the course of the year since I bought it, and a salutary reminder that Londoners have always complained that the place is losing its soul, that it's too crowded and noisy, that it's not what it used to be, that the transport is a fright. But they've always known too how much it has to offer and that, for better and worse, the place is never finished. The cast of diarists across the centuries ranges from the legendary (of course Pepys is here) to WNP Barbellion's Journal of a Disappointed Man, of which I'd never heard before and which, as the title might suggest, has a disconcerting tendency to read like the manifesto of a school shooter. Some, though by no means all, of the contributors are not primarily known as diarists: Aaron Burr has a consistently miserable time to please any Hamilton fan, while Arnold Bennett's grumping does nothing to make me any more likely to read him. Michael Palin, in 1971, is surprisingly fogeyish about decimalisation and even postcodes (which he sees as the first step to replacing cities' names with numbers); even purely numerical telephone codes are, he says, impossible to remember. As the years go by he pops up every so often, but writing about local planning meetings far more often than about changing the face of comedy. There's one contributor I know, and whose diary I've been reading for many years, Dickon Edwards – despite which, at least once I mistook one of his entries for Kenneth Williams until a mobile 'phone was mentioned. All in all, a testament to the beauty and the bustle and the light and variety of one of history's great cities.

[julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.0 Stars.

There are some interesting pieces in this collection, mostly those where someone relates their first-hand impressions of what later came to be recognised as an important historical moment.

Yet the majority of the entries read and felt too random and many had no point of intrigue at all. I’m certain it’s hard to find something breathtakingly interesting for every day of the year, but there was just too much blandness in all this.

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book because I had lived in London and was interested to read about how the place has (and hasn't!) changed over several centuries. There are some interesting bits - like on major holidays/events, stories from the Blitz, entries from novelists, letters showing the Victorians were far less prudish than we've been told... The variety of monumental moments that occurred in London shows why the city is so great, but it doesn't show how - or rather, on whose backs - it became so. What I learned is that history was written by white men who go to the theatre and take strolls in the park (duh!) and that life is too short to read books that don't captivate you.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for reading last thing at night, this hefty bedside book includes snippets of memoirs, letters, and other notes written by people (some Londoners, some not; some well known, some not) while living in the city. It includes entries from as early as the early 16th century (Edward VI, who may not have lived long but kept a journal) and from the 2000s, and is a wonderful snapshot of London over the centuries.

[Carlyn]

Gave up when I hit April, just not enjoying this at all! Was expecting a bit more about life during big historical moments in time from normal people I guess but instead it seems to be mostly about middle-upper class people dining and going to theatre.

[Emma Sea]

In keeping with my new reading policy, I am not enjoying this and have decided life is too short to force myself finish.

It would be a great book to buy and leave in the bathroom for any, ahem, long, lingering, private moments. But to sit and read straight through? Nuh uh.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating glimpse into life in London through the centuries.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as it includes entries from a wider range of time periods than most. But as it's a collection of diaries and letters, inevitably they include more entries from the middle and upper classes than the working one for most time periods. It's because of varying levels of literacy, education levels, and even the relative cost of writing materials. That's not really the fault of the editors. Some of the included entries are a bit brief too. But overall, I found this enjoyable because it's fun to compare historic descriptions of well loved roads and areas with their modern realities. This book probably works best if you have some knowledge of the city but it's not essential.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book one day at a time throughout the year. Interesting diary entries. A few were exceptional but like most diary entries most were fairly mundane. Glad I read it. Probably will not do it again. In the back is bio info on the people whose diaries and letters are quoted. I wish I had found it earlier and had read more about the writers as I went along. Would recommend any one who reads it to access this often.

[Aileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a terrific book to end the year on! This is laid out each day with excerpts from various writers, taken from their journals and letters. I've read it from 1st January through to 31st December, a day at a time. A fascinating glimpse of the city over the last 500 years, reading about notable events from people who saw them first hand and seeing how names and places have changed.

[ECL · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointed by this. I didn’t think it would be possible to make a collection of London diary entries boring, but I couldn’t get beyond March. As well as being poorly selected, the entries have an annoying feature - each entry has a headline telling you the most interesting point. It’s like reading a collection of jokes with the punchlines up front.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fascinating way to tell the history of my favourite city. Loved the insights into people's real lives - this book made me feel closer to London and the people who have called it home.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

c2015: As per the blurb on the back of the book from the Spectator this is a 'Great idea, expertly researched'. And here comes the but/rant. By the very nature of history, the older diary entries are written by literate and therefore upper middle class and beyond. I would imagine that very few peasants in the 1500-1600s could read and write. And even if they could, would probably not have the wherewithal to be able to have the spare time or stationary supplies to 'waste' on diary entries. As a consequence, many of the entries prior to the 1900s refer to the smelly masses, disgusting commoners, rabble, mob, and various other denigrating terms. Sprinkled through these are some very interesting first hand eye witness accounts ranging from well known historical events to the mundane everyday occurrences (well, they would have been considered such at the time of the diary entry) which would be pretty horrendous by our 'modern' standards. But, at the conclusion of the book, I felt vaguely as I do after visiting a National Trust property, that equality is really just a word. "On my way home I fell into chat with a shabby-looking fellow, a master-bricklayer, whose appearance was that of a very low person, but his conversation quite surprised me. He talked about trade with the knowledge of a practical man of business, enlightened by those principles of political economy which indeed are become common; but I did not think they had alighted on the hod and trowel." Henry Crabb Robinson, Diary 1822. Jeez!

[Adrian]

A year is covered with 3 or 4 entries per day. Earliest entry from early 1500s and most recent from 2011. The nineteenth century represents the mean and the Great Exhibition of 1851 a rough midpoint. I've read several books of this sort and enjoyed them all. The interest is in the variety. Back to back entries from 300 years apart in time concerns so different and yet not. Will pick up names of six or seven diarists to explore further; Evelyn, Berry, Agate, Munby, Palin and Gissing to name a few.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining miscellany of diary excerpts, letters etc over the centuries from the famous and the not so famous, two or three or more for every day of the year. I learned about several historical incidents I knew nothing of and different perspectives on some that I did. I tried to keep up with it on a daily basis but only managed to the end of June. From now on, it is sitting on my bookshelf for dipping into now and again. Well worth a look.

[Mugren Ohaly · Rating 1 out of 5]

The plan was to read the day's entries every night throughout 2014, a reverse-diary if you will. It has been disappointing. The entries are mostly meaningless and uninspirational. The collection is a history lesson in nothing.

I'm also surprised that less than 5% of the entries included in the collection were written after the 1970's.

[Jeff Howells · Rating 5 out of 5]

God I absolutely loved this book. An entire year of extracts from diaries, letters and journals all connected to London and stretching from the 16th Century to now. The entries come from a wide range of eras and a wide range of authors - from the well known (Pepys, Orwell, Alan Bennett) to the unknown. It could easily have been twice as long and I wouldn't have complained one bit.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read. A wonderful idea and perfect for dipping in now and again.

If you're interested in London and/or diaries and letters from history I would recommend this wholeheartedly.

A fascinating insight into how society and London has changed over the centuries.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating insight into contemporary London written by diarists over five centuries. I feel the reader would benefit from reading it on a daily basis each read pertaining to the current day.