Forgotten London

London became the first megalopolis in the world in the nineteenth century. It was the centre of international trade and finance, the seat of Empire and the nexus of world power. However, this book is not about the familiar city of pomp, power and politics, but looks instead at the everyday lives of the people that gave it its vitality, its highlights and shadows.

Covering the period from the Victorian era to the dawn of World War II, this is the formative period of the city we know today. The book will be fully illustrated with photos, illustrations and works of art. We could also include colourised photographs where possible.

As the author writes: ‘The people of London will share news and gossip, will visit the music-halls, stare at the advertisements, crowd around coffee stalls and pastry shops. They will be seen in enthusiasm and in distress, in wealth and in poverty, I will not be looking down on them for analysis but looking around with them, as if seeing the city for the first time.’

Written by renowned writer, Peter Ackroyd, the book will provide a fascinating glimpse at the real lives of London’s inhabitants as the city grew to become the dominant metropolis of the world.