A Short History of London
The Creation of a World Capital
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A Short History of London
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Narrated by:
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Anthony Howell
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By:
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Simon Jenkins
About this listen
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.
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What listeners say about A Short History of London
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- emrys
- 02-09-20
Interesting.
A well written and researched book, full of interesting facts about the history of London and it's environment.
The narrator was truly splendid, enhancing the content marvellously.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- jake
- 22-03-23
Pretty good!
As someone currently living in London, and am from a neighboring town, I found plenty to relate to and learnt a lot.
It's not a flattering portrayal but not overly bleak. It stays factual and focuses a lot on housing and developments (which I loved) towards the end.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 29-01-20
Excellent - another tour de force
I have found myself both returning to and quoting from this book as I walk the streets of a London. I have long felt like a tourist in this river full city, now I’m a better informed one.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Richard Marcel
- 03-04-21
Overall very fascinating and insightful
Well read and a well put together account of London with incredible stories and detail. Some icons received less or no attention such as Tower Bridge, the Royal Albert hall, the post office tower, recent monarchy etc. Enjoyable history lesson nevertheless and lots of focus on politics and architecture which has indeed made London the best city in the world.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- charles wainwright
- 20-10-23
A fantastic book on London!
I so enjoyed this audible book on London that I listened to it twice.
There is so much information of a fascinating nature.
Would thoroughly recommend.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- RSA1968
- 26-10-21
Dreadful narration
Such an interesting book - ruined by the weird intonation and style of the narrator. Speaks in a monotonous repetitive pace, as if put through a computerised voice machine.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ken P
- 03-11-22
A very good book to prevent the plans going there
I found this audio book very well narrated and giving a very good history lesson on London.
My personal opinion of London whenever I've been there is that I'm glad to come back to West Yorkshire.
We had our urban renewal thanks to John Paulson and his henchmen who total destroyed some Victorian terraces for a massive, ugly, block of flats, when the terraces could have been renovated for first time buyers of permanent residency.
What is described in this audio in the later stages is one of greed and poor planning, egged on by ambitious mayors'.
The life style in London seems to me to be one of great fun, balanced by great crime due to the stabbing frenzy reported virtually every week.
Keep the capital city to those wishing to live there. No place in my life for 'Stab City'.
I know quite a few couples who have moved to our town's new build detached and semi-final detached housing, and apart from the colosall profits they have made, selling up and coming North, they feel free of the London rush and push.
Good audio
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- N Sturman
- 01-12-20
The devil's in the detail.
I enjoyed this audio book, it was read well and the language used was easy to follow and digest.
The book itself wasn't quite what i expected. The short history of London is the history of the capital and what events shaped its building and social structure throughout history. It reads like a biography of London as a sentient being and what events and people shaped it through history.
A fascinating stance on telling the story of London but at times I found it frustrating that key events in its history were referenced in a couple of paragraphs when I wanted more detail.
Essentially it's not a history of the events of London, but a history of how London was formed. So it talks of the key players in shaping London as a city. Starting way back when, and going through the influences throughout history, some good and some bad.
There is so much history in London that I wanted this book to explore and expand on but it doesn't.
I did enjoy it but found myself wanting more. Just more of the history, more detail around certain historical figures or certain events from the capital.
A good book but I'll be looking elsewhere to expand my knowledge on London's history... Which is maybe the purpose of the book.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Trupster
- 23-05-21
fascinating insight into London
lots of interesting facts over the centuries. really good listen and highly recommended for anyone wanting to understand London's history.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 30-10-22
There’s something wrong with the recording
The sound goes from louder to quieter intermittently which is extremely irritating. I don’t know how much more I can listen to this
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