Product Description

More than a capital city, Londoners had witnessed the unthinkable - the public execution of a king at Whitehall. Thousands had died in the Plague of 1665, then the Great Fire of 1666. But from the ashes rose a modern city, rebuilt with the shining dome of Christopher Wren's St Paul's Cathedral, symbolising a new strength and confidence. London, with a population of over half a million, was now Europe's largest, richest and most cosmopolitian city.
Maureen Waller describes a familiar yet alien world. Using anecdotes, detail and amusing contrasts, she draws on court records newspapers, and recorded eyewitness accounts to create a vividly colourful vision. of a city at a unique moment in its history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #159451 in Books
• Published on: 2001-02-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Just the sort of book that gives history a good name, 1700: Scenes from London Life presents almost a glut of the kind of daily life (and death) detail which proves utterly engaging, striking chords of familiarity or describing almost unimaginable worlds. We discover where people lived and worked, how they behaved, what they wore and ate and how horrifically they suffered from illness and injury. A booming London appears modern in its commercialisation and overt materialism. It was "the most magnificent city in Europe" yet "the streets were open sewers" and life there was so precarious that it might be described as "a mere prelude to death". In 1700 the late 17th/early 18th-century world is brought vividly to life by imaginative vignettes drawn from the author's research and by excerpts from contemporary diarists, novelists and commentators, whose works are listed in the extensive bibliography. A relatively long book, it can be dipped into, as the chapters are thematically organised. In fact, open the book at any page and the intriguing detail will leap out and grab you. Creatively written, the text is so colourful that the slightly disappointing illustrations are not much of a drawback. This is a truly enticing read, exploring a period of significant development in London and clearly indicating the importance of this point in England's history. --Karen Tiley.

Sunday Times
"A traditional, well-documented social history, pungent, entertaining and informative"

Review
"A traditional, well-documented social history, pungent, entertaining and informative" (Sunday Times )

"Impressive learning, lightly worn, gives Waller's portrait a wonderfully vivid feel" (The Scotsman )

"fascinating new book... one realises, when reading this book, that one is reading nothing less than an account of the birth pangs of the modern age" (New Statesman )

Customer Reviews

Brings History to Life
I enjoyed this book immensely. It describes what life was like in London in 1700 in a very entertaining, but informative way, which makes easy reading. Each chapter of the book is about a different subject, for example, health, childbirth, entertainment, etc., which makes it easy to pick up and put down, or read on the train. I was fascinated with the remedys for various ailments and the way we used to eat, dress and entertain ourselves. The book also illustrates how things don't change much over time, like poor people begging on the streets. A good overall social history, my only grumble being that I wish it was a bit longer so that the author could go more in depth on some of the subjects.

An interesting, gripping, educational read.
An excellent read, more like a novel than a textbook. Gripping and in parts alarming - I defy any woman to read the section on childbirth without wincing! Full of interesting snippets that you can repeat to your friends and look educated. Although it's described as a book about London it's really about people everywhere, and has interest even if you've never been near London yourself.

vivid, fascinating, educational and highly entertaining
From the moment I picked up this book, which was bought on a whim, I have kept returning to it to read more, and even reread some sections. The book is split into clearly defined chapters and is structuired in such a way that you can just dip in and read any chapter out of sequence, which is how I ended up reading it.

Maureens language is colorful and meticulously researched, often accompanied by relevant quotes of documents, and authentic illustrations from the period. The book captures everyday life from 18th century London incredibly, you can almost hear the clattering of cartwheels on cobbles, and the incessant rabble of bartering in the marketplaces. Not only that, the book also throws up a few very interesting facts about the history of our langage, phrases and words we use everday without really thinking about their origin (think you know where 'daylight robbery' came from? think again!).

To summarise: I defy anyone to read this book and not enjoy it.