The Phoenix: St. Paul’s Cathedral And The Men Who Made Modern London: St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Men Who Made Modern London
A Guide to the Architecture of London -
List Price: ?20.00
Amazon Price: ?14.00
Used Price: ?11.66
Customer Review: Rebuilding London
This is well researched and very readable account of the financial, engineering and political problems which had to be overcome in building St Pauls Cathedral. It gives a considerable insight into the forces which shaped modern London and the lives of the prominent people involved.
Customer Review: Nice try, but no cigar
Leo Hollis started with a promising concept: showing how innovative intellects combined to shape history at a critical juncture. And there can be no doubt–the Restoration and the Dutch invasion of 1688 were key events that must be understood by anyone who has ever wondered why and how Britain transformed the world. And transform it, it did. Under the Stuarts, Britain was a third-rate power, dependent upon French subsidies. A century and a half later, Britain’s industrial, political and financial revolutions had begun the process by which the majority of mankind have been freed from hunger and hardship. Alas, Hollis hasn’t quite pulled it off. The central threads of the book–the rebuilding of London (and more specifically, St Pauls) after the fire of London–are more symptoms than causes of the remarkable changes that occurred after 1666. Even though I was intrigued by his inclusion of Nicholas Barbon–Britain’s first property speculator, and an original thinker who has hitherto received little notice–the book doesn’t quite work as a narrative, or as a coherent overview of intellectual, political and commercial change. The subject is just too big. This said, it’s not a bad read, and I daresay that non-specialists will learn a lot from it. But it doesn’t really rank with the many first-class popular histories that are now appearing.
Read more..
• London street atlas with central London maps at 6.4 inches to 1 mile• Covers over 1660 square miles covered by main street maps at 3.2 inches to 1 mile• Underground map and London connections rail map• Theatres, cinemas and shopping maps• Street index.”
Read more..
