Product Description

This work pieces together the human story of the Fire and its aftermath - the panic and terror, the bewilderment and violence and chaos, the search for scapegoats and the rebirth of a city. It recreates what happened to schoolchildren and servants, courtiers and clergymen when the streets of London ran with fire and "by ye Permission of Heaven, Hell broke loose upon this Protestant City".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #956214 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
The great fire of London, here documented by Adrian Tinniswood in By Permission of Heaven is an apt reminder of urban disaster 17th-century-style. The story of the fire, which began in a bakery in Pudding Lane, is well-known, but as well as focusing on the fire itself--its cause, spread and its victims--Tinniswood is good at setting out the wider background to the event. He shows how the fire not only followed the devastation of the bubonic plague, but also came in the midst of the Anglo-Dutch war, public resentment at the restoration of the pro-Catholic Charles II and lingering anti-court feeling in the Square Mile (the City had stoutly supported Cromwell 20 years earlier). He focuses on the leading personalities of the drama--the gallant Duke of York, the hapless Sir Thomas Bludworth, the fussy Samuel Pepys, and the visionary Sir Christopher Wren.

Tinniswood is not distracted by trivia. He describes clearly the longer-term consequences of the fire: the rebuilding of the City, the emergence of fire insurance, and the exodus of noxious trades into the outer reaches of the capital. Above all, Tinniswood shows how anti-Catholic and xenophobic bigotry convinced Londoners for decades afterwards that an axis of evil starting in Popish Rome and ending with foreign arsonists was the real cause of the fire. Then, as now, religious fundamentalism and common-sense did not go hand-in-hand. --Miles Taylor

Review
Praise for "His Invention So Fertile: A Life of Christopher Wren:
"Lively, knowledgeable, affectionate...a fine biography." -- "Sunday Times
"Powered by an engrossing passion for its subject." -- Andrew Motion, "Financial Times

From the Publisher
A magnificently told, thrilling account of one of the most dramatic events in British history.

Customer Reviews

EXCELLENT
This is the first time I've read anything by the author Adrian Tinniswood and I wasn't disappointed.

I've never read anything about the Great Fire of London before and we didn't cover it in history at school to any great length, all I knew was were it started and what a mess it created.

Adrian has done a lot of research for this historical book and has included a lot of information. He's looked at it for all sides and how it affected not just the Londoners but the rest of the country as well.

The fire happened before the bubonic plague had finished and during the Anglo-Dutch war. There have been conspiracies about whom and why it had been started and this book answers a lot of those questions.

He focuses on the leading personalities like the gallant Duke of York, the hapless Sir Thomas Bludworth, the fussy Samuel Pepys, and the visionary Sir Christopher Wren.

The author also describes the long term consequences of the fire for example the rebuilding of the City, the emergence of fire insurance, and the exodus of noxious trades into the outer reaches of the capital.

This book was really interesting and informative, (it also includes black and white illustrations of how London looked at the time).

Personally I found it a compulsive read, Adrian draws you into all walks of life that were being lead at the time and how everyone coped with it. This is a book I will read again, it was worth the novel and for teenagers and adults alike who want to find out about the great fire of London this is an excellent book and I'd recommend it. :-)

A thorough and well-written account
Firstly a confession, despite or perhaps because of my occupation as a teacher of History, I read very few History texts. However a favourable review by a colleague led me to Tinniswood's excellent book.

Tinniswood has clearly researched this volume meticulously, drawing on previous histories of the Great Fire and a wealth of primary material. The events of 1666 are carefully placed within the political and social context of the period, in particular the Restoration and reign of Charles II and the wars against the Dutch. The unfolding of the Fire itself is recounted with an eye for fascinating details, such as Samuel Pepys burying his Parmesan cheese as the fire drew near to his home. Again Tinniswood draws expertly upon the contemporary accounts and evidence. Tinniswood also cleverly examines the aftermath of the Fire, in particular the process by which the rebuilding of London was undertaken and the way in which compensation was provided to the many thousands who had lost homes or livelihoods.

Tinniswood's account also touches upon contemporary themes; the treatment of the many migrants living in seventeenth century London during and after the events of 1666, and the desire to blame foreign agents for deliberately starting the fire. These issues are dealt with sensitively and expertly.

I would recommend this volume to anyone interested in this fascinating historical event. Tinniswood has produced an account that is strongly rooted in thorough historical research, whilst maintaining an engaging written style.

Engaging writing, meticulous research, broad perspective
This is an engaging book, which takes a broad look at the background and consequences of the fire, alongside a detailed and compelling account of the events themselves.

Most popular accounts of the Great Fire draw heavily on Samuel Pepys, but Tinniswood goes substantially beyond Pepys to bring a wide range of contemporary sources, including other diarists, popular songs, official records, and later histories. This is both much better history, and vastly more exciting writing.

Tinniswood frequently juxtaposes the hopes and fears of the protagonists with what happened immediately afterwards. In this way, he brings a fine sense of historic irony to his account. For example, just a week before the fire, Christopher Wren and others were arguing in St Paul's Cathedral about how it should be repaired, following previous damage.

He also places it in a cultural context that few of us are really aware of. The importance of the year 1666 had been widely picked by astrologers and thinkers for a number of reasons, none of which make any sense to most modern people, but which had together combined to fill the city with foreboding. Likewise, the fury vented by the citizens on the French, Dutch and other foreigners would be hard to grasp in today's world, without the author's careful development of the importance of the Dutch war before the fire began.

The picture of London before the Great Fire which he gives us is one of a surprisingly late medieval town. The aftermath of the fire marks the beginning of the modern city.

Fascinating reading.