LONDON - Find something intriguing, informative, curious, colourful: A tome for dipping into for a revelation about one of, if not, the greatest City in the World. ( )

This was a really enjoyable read. Lewis has compiled a collection of really good primary sources for this collection. His forward opens with Dr. Johnson's line "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life." The sources truly reflect this statement.

The voices are primarily native Londoners, with a scattering of internationals (like Marx and Dostoyevsky) who were also eyewitnesses for key events. He starts off with Tacitus in AD 60 and ends with three passages from the 2005 terrorist bombings. The sources included are from all across society, many big names and events, but also a decent bit of the common London experience. As to be expected number of entries are from Samuel Pepys, Dr. Johnson, and John Evelyn. There are also passages written by Queen Victoria and Margaret Thatcher. 2,000 years of London triumphs and tragedies are recounted by the people who saw it all firsthand. Jack the Ripper, the Crystal Palace, the Gunpowder Plot, the Blitz, Swing London, Princess Diana, it's all here in snapshot style. The book includes two sections of illustrations and photographs, which are beneficial. This is an excellent collection of primary sources with a good bibliography and index. ( )