London: A Life in Maps - Softcover

Whitfield, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0712349197 ISBN 13: 9780712349192

Verlag: British Library, 2007

Inhaltsangabe

A city long shrouded in literary and historical mists--not to mention real ones--London seduces tourists and natives alike. From Big Ben to the grimy Victorian streets of Dickens novels on up to the sleek high-rises that dot the skyline of the twenty-first-century metropolis, the urban landscape of London is steeped in history, while forever responsive to the changing dictates of progress, industry, and culture. In London: A Life in Maps, acclaimed historian Peter Whitfield reveals a wealth of surprising truths and forgotten facts hidden in the city’s historic maps.

Whitfield examines nearly 200 maps spanning the last 500 years, all of which vividly demonstrate the vast changes wrought on London’s streets, open spaces, and buildings. In a rich array of colorful cartographic illustrations, the maps chronicle London’s tumultuous history, from the devastation of the Great Fire to the indelible marks left by World Wars I and II to the emergence of the West End as a fashion mecca. Whitfield reads historic sketches and detailed plans as biographical keys to this complex, sprawling urban center, and his in-depth examination unearths fascinating insights into the city of black cabs and red double-deckers. With engaging prose and astute analysis he also expertly coaxes out the subtle complexities—of social history, urban planning, and design—within the rich documentation of London’s immense and constantly changing cityscape.
London: A Life in Maps lets readers wander through the past and present of London’s celebrated streets—from Abbey Road to Savile Row—and along the way reveals the city’s captivating history, vibrant culture, and potential future.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Peter Whitfield is former director of Stanfords International Map Centre in London. He is also the author of Cities of the World, New Found Lands, Astrology, The Image of the World, The Mapping of the Heavens, The Charting of the Oceans, Landmarks in Western Science, and Sir Francis Drake.

Peter Whitfield is a former director of Stanford's International Map Centre. His previous books areThe Image of the World; The Mapping of the Heavens; The Charting of the Oceans;New Found Lands; Landmarks in Western Science; Astrology; Sir Francis Drake; andCities of the World.

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: British Library
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2007
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0712349197
• ISBN 13: 9780712349192
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Auflage: 1
• Anzahl der Seiten: 208
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar