Ten Non-Fiction Books About London That You Must Add to Your Reading List

By James V. Ruocco

There are hundreds of non-fiction books about London, its people, its politics and its traditions brimming with glorious, page-turning detail that is inspired, imaginative, passionate and instantaneously redeeming.

Lots of words.
Lots of chapters.
Lots of color.
Lots of documentation.
Lots of unassailable truths.

So, let's dive in.

Listed below are a select few of them - 10 in all - that you must buy, read and obsess over.


Pretty City London: Discovering London's Beautiful Places

By Siobhan Ferguson (author)

The beautiful places of London and its many hidden gems are the subject of this vibrant, visual odyssey that is full of character, style, charm and influence. Author Siobhan Ferguson takes the reader through the secluded mews, the tree-lined streets, the cafes, the flower markets, the bookstores, the artisan bakeries, the tucked-away eateries, the gram-friendly neighborhoods for a ride that is well worth taking.

Her knowledge, matched by her focused, stunning photographs, provides the reader with a world of pretty places and locales that he or she will want to check out when visiting London. There's even plenty of helpful tips on how to set up and photograph the future memories of your visit.

The London Encyclopaedia

By Christopher Hibbert, Ben Weinreb, John Keay, Julia Keay (authors)

More than 6,000 entries and articles are featured in this mammoth historical reference work examining life in the capital city of London. Everything that is important to London's history and culture is documented and cross-referenced from the first settlers on the banks of the Thames River right up to the present day.
The book itself, a challenge for both its editors and writers, is assured, comprehensive and informative. It's a capital achievement with all sorts of fun, useful tidbits, details and observations well worth highlighting and remembering for future reference.



Letters From London

By Julian Barnes (author)

In this colorful collection of 15 essays that portray contemporary London life in the 1990's, Julian Barnes, the celebrated author of "Flaubert's Parrot," displays an accomplished wit and idiosyncratic style and intelligence that is both formidably articulate and consistently pleasurable. Topics include the Lloyd's of London insurance disaster, the Harrods takeover, the Salman Rushdie death sentence and the rise and fall of Margaret Thatcher.

London: A Travel Guide Through Time

By Dr. Matthew Green (author)

Six different periods of London's history - the reign of Queen Victoria, the age of William Shakespeare, 14th century medieval life, the Great Plague of London, the Blitz, the 18th century coffee houses - are chronicled by author Dr. Matthew Green in this vibrant and colorful account of the world's most extraordinary city.
Comprehensive, clear and evocative, this book is filled with colorful accounts of London's storied past, all narrated in a choice, light-hearted manner by a storyteller who makes history fun, memorable and engaging.



London: The Biography

By Peter Ackroyd (author)

A history of the city of London traveling through time from the ancient Druid Celtic culture to the early 21st century, author Peter Ackroyd's spin on this whirlwind journey is well structured, thematic, public and developmental.

For Ackroyd, London is a living, breathing, colorful entity, and that is exactly what he has written. His writing is constructive, quirky, affectionate and appropriate. And, oh yes, his storytelling skills come packaged with fascinating fact, legend, insight and luxuriant knowledge.

Literary London

By Eloise Millar and Sam Jordison (authors)

The best literary landmarks in London are the inspiration for this behind-the-scene's glimpse of the stomping grounds and favorite places of English literature's beloved writers, poets, playwrights, essayists, diarists and novelists.
Authors Eloise Millar and Sam Jordison move through time and genre following the footsteps of Oscar Wilde, Dylan Thomas, Lord Byron, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Virginia Woolf and Julian McClaren Ross, among others.
The anecdotes, the acknowledgements, the accounts, the nuggets and the ideas are straightforward, refreshing, detailed and enlightening. Suffice to say, an outing or two to the the many places discussed is a given.



David Gentleman's London

By David Gentleman (author)

The personal observations of author David Gentleman unfold with charm, drive, nuance and extensive commentary in this loving tribute to London's past and present.

The sketches - watercolour and loose line print - are detailed and composed with an old world charm that gives the reader a choice, in depth glimpse of the capital city.

Lots of places are covered - The West End, Queen Anne's Gate, St. Paul's Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, The River Thames, The Parks, Westminster Abbey, The East End - with Gentleman providing apt, descriptive historical perspective.

The London Nobody Knows

By Geoffrey Fletcher (author)

Author Geoffrey Fletcher's offbeat glimpse of life in London doesn't focus on the city's big landmarks, tourist attractions and formidable history. His journey opts for eccentricity, extravagance and tawdriness as he journeys to Victorian musical halls, Holborn's public toilets, art nouveau pubs, a Hawksmoor Anglican Church on Commercial Street and Ravenscroft House, among others.
His eye for the unusual is preserved through lofty verbiage and laments about London's every-changing landscape, its embalmed and cherished memories, its manic explorations and its seedy underbelly where anything can happen and does.  

I Never Knew That About London

By Christopher  Winn (author)

Traveling through the streets and districts of London, author Christoper Winn presents facts, stories, snippets and observations about the capital city that inform, intrigue and amuse. 

Visit the house where Handel and Jimi Hendrix both lived. Take a ride on the world's biggest Ferris Wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames. Climb the Monument's (built in 1677) 311 steps and take in a spectacular view of the city of London. Take a peak at London's first naked statue. Go behind the closed doors of Parliament. Find out where the "sandwich" was invented and who is said to be its inventor. What's not to enjoy!

The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens' London

By Judith Flanders (author)

Everyday life on the streets of Dickens' London is meticulously chronicled in this captivating, smartly researched 19-century portrait by Judith Flanders. Through her eyes, we are led through the markets, the sewers, the gin palaces, the filth, the cemeteries, the bars, the slums, the shops and the scraps of orange-peel on the pavements. It's a journey that is stirring, inspired and completely unforgettable.