What do you think?
Rate this book
Perfect London Walk
Describes a walking tour in London, off the beaten path, and shares observations on British customs and history, and points of interest along the way
123 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
90 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Curley
31 booksDaniel Curley was an American short story writer and novelist. He was a professor of English at the University of Illinois and editor of Accent, a literary magazine. He received the O'Henry Award in 1965 and the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction in 1985.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 8, 2011
I got this book from a daughter of one of the co-authors, Dan Curley, and had it signed by the other co-author, Roger Ebert in April, 2011. It is a very short book, giving specific directions for a walk through Hampstead Heath in London. The book was written 20 years ago, so I'm not sure how much of it is still applicable. Undoubtedly, some of the landmarks have changed or been removed. I intend to find out in July when we visit London and I'll report what we find then.
December 24, 2022
I look forward to taking this storied walk. This little volume will appeal to fans of the great denizens of English Literature as there are many hallmarks along the journey should one choose to partake. The directions are a bit vague however, I could easily imagine getting lost. I would love it if someone were to follow the route elucidated by Curley and Ebert, taking colour photographs. The banal black and white photos which populate the book do not do the route justice. Nonetheless, this is a charming book, full of rich literary history, and it is kind of Curley and Ebert to have shared their favourite perambulation with us.
September 10, 2023
The Perfect London Walk is a great book for those who are going to London and those who can go there only vicariously.
Late film critic Roger Ebert proves to be an excellent tour guide of the Hampstead and Parliament Hill neighborhoods of London. He notes he had taken the walk some 50 times and that it is well known to Londoners. At the same time, the trek is far enough away from the beaten path that most visitors, even sophisticated ones, will not have found it.
As I was reading the book, I felt that I had discovered a fascinating slice of Lond0n even though I was thousands of miles away from the British capital. The feeling of discovery is the mark of a great travel book.
Travelers will love the work in part because it is practical, though it is doubtless some of the information is out of date. Nevertheless, the information would prove to be useful to the traveler as a way to plan Ebert's walk: which Underground lines to take to get to the start, hours to keep in mind for historic sites along the way (the Keats House, Highgate Cemetery, pubs) and suggestions on places to eat (the George, the Spaniards Inn and others).
And readers will love the work because the history, culture and experiences along the walk are fascinating, such as Parliament Hill, the tallest place in London. Visitors learn about Queen Boadicea, the Celtic warrior said to be buried on the hill. (As Ebert points out, some believe she is buried under Track Five of Paddington Station.) Walkers can see the cottage where poet John Keats wrote and wooed Fanny Brawne. They learn about the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, celebrated highwayman Dick Turpin and St. John's, Downshire Hill, London's last "proprietary chapel", so called because it is owned by the congregation.
The walk goes through the Highgate Cemetery, the Victorian resting place of Karl Marx, painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti and author George Eliot. Late travel writer Ian Nairn called the atmospheric Highgate "the creepiest place in London" in his Nairn's London.
So why give the book only three stars? The work includes a lot of quotes from famous and then-contemporary writers as a way to set the tone, yet Ebert could have provided more detail about the history of the area. And sometimes Ebert -- a master of clarity -- gets a bit confusing. He comes across the grave of Dick Whittington, the three-time mayor of London in the late medieval period, and mentions Bow Bells in capital letters. I have no idea who or what Bow Bells is.
Quibbles aside, The Perfect London Walk is a delightful jaunt through a colorful London neighborhood. The residents of Hampstead must feel Keats, George Orwell and other former residents are still there, an intoxicating thought.
Late film critic Roger Ebert proves to be an excellent tour guide of the Hampstead and Parliament Hill neighborhoods of London. He notes he had taken the walk some 50 times and that it is well known to Londoners. At the same time, the trek is far enough away from the beaten path that most visitors, even sophisticated ones, will not have found it.
As I was reading the book, I felt that I had discovered a fascinating slice of Lond0n even though I was thousands of miles away from the British capital. The feeling of discovery is the mark of a great travel book.
Travelers will love the work in part because it is practical, though it is doubtless some of the information is out of date. Nevertheless, the information would prove to be useful to the traveler as a way to plan Ebert's walk: which Underground lines to take to get to the start, hours to keep in mind for historic sites along the way (the Keats House, Highgate Cemetery, pubs) and suggestions on places to eat (the George, the Spaniards Inn and others).
And readers will love the work because the history, culture and experiences along the walk are fascinating, such as Parliament Hill, the tallest place in London. Visitors learn about Queen Boadicea, the Celtic warrior said to be buried on the hill. (As Ebert points out, some believe she is buried under Track Five of Paddington Station.) Walkers can see the cottage where poet John Keats wrote and wooed Fanny Brawne. They learn about the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, celebrated highwayman Dick Turpin and St. John's, Downshire Hill, London's last "proprietary chapel", so called because it is owned by the congregation.
The walk goes through the Highgate Cemetery, the Victorian resting place of Karl Marx, painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti and author George Eliot. Late travel writer Ian Nairn called the atmospheric Highgate "the creepiest place in London" in his Nairn's London.
So why give the book only three stars? The work includes a lot of quotes from famous and then-contemporary writers as a way to set the tone, yet Ebert could have provided more detail about the history of the area. And sometimes Ebert -- a master of clarity -- gets a bit confusing. He comes across the grave of Dick Whittington, the three-time mayor of London in the late medieval period, and mentions Bow Bells in capital letters. I have no idea who or what Bow Bells is.
Quibbles aside, The Perfect London Walk is a delightful jaunt through a colorful London neighborhood. The residents of Hampstead must feel Keats, George Orwell and other former residents are still there, an intoxicating thought.
April 17, 2021
“We believe there is only one walk in all of London that is the equal of the one you have just taken. To take it, start where you now stand, and retrace your steps.”
I took the walk on a sunny Saturday 17 April, 2021 (nearing the end of the Covid-19 era). It really is perfect.
I took the walk on a sunny Saturday 17 April, 2021 (nearing the end of the Covid-19 era). It really is perfect.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2019
Lovely. I wish it could get re-released in an updated format--not the content and not even necessarily adding pictures, but layout and maps.
January 23, 2022
A wonderfully descriptive walk around outer London- I can't wait to take it myself one day.
*
This is a book I love to return to every few years. I've taken parts of the walk now, but have not done the entire journey from start to finish. Some day!
*
This is a book I love to return to every few years. I've taken parts of the walk now, but have not done the entire journey from start to finish. Some day!
January 20, 2012
Picked this up because of Ebert's descriptions of this walk in his memoir, "Life Itself." His description of the book was actually better than the book itself.
January 12, 2017
Definitely a walk I want to try this summer when I'm in London. This book also reminded me what a good writer Roger Ebert was, even when he wasn't writing about movies.
April 22, 2013
an interesting route, i think i'll try it sometime (i've never been on the heath)
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews