Thames: Sacred River - Hardcover

Ackroyd, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0701172843 ISBN 13: 9780701172848

Publisher: Chatto & Windus, 2007

Synopsis

THAMES: SACRED RIVER is about the river from source to sea. It covers history from prehistoric times to the present, the flora and fauna of the river, paintings and photographs inspired by the Thames, its geology, smells and colours, its literature, laws and landscape, its magic and myths, its architecture, trade and weather.

The reader learns about the fishes that swim in the river and the boats that ply on its surface; about floods and tides; hauntings and suicides; miasmas and sewers; locks, weirs and embankments.

'My fair lady' of London Bridge is Falling Down is identified as Eleanor, Queen of Henry lll; Mapledurham House near Henley as Toad Hall of Wind in the Willows. In AD 54, the river was 14 feet shallower than it is now, flowing sluggishly at low tide through sandbanks and swamps: thus Caesar and his legions could cross the Thames and defeat the British tribes. 1700 years later, malaria in the marshes of the estuary was so terrible that some men had 'from 5 to 6, to 14 or 15 wives' consequence, as Ackroyd writes drily, of mortality not profligacy. Here is Shelley floating on the river under poetical beech trees, Hogarth getting roaring drunk on a boatrip to Gravesend, William Morris wondering whether the same Thames water flowed past his windows in Hammersmith as flowed past his house at Kelmscott 100 miles upriver.

Did you know that Pepys (in 1661) was the first to mention a dock on the Thames? That 'toe-rag' (meaning despised individual) derives from sacking worn over the boots of workers in the grain and corn warehouses of Milwall Docks? That hangings continued at Execution Dock until 1834? Peter Ackroyd has a genius for digging out the most surprising and entertaining details, and for writing about them in magisterial prose.

About this title

Review:

'(Ackroyd) presents his material as a cornucopia of treats and insights delivered from all directions' -- The Independent

'Ackroyd's fascinating history of the river and its citizens explores these associations thematically, constantly back-tracking and leaping forward in space and time'
-- The London Review Bookshop

'a beautifully produced book...There is so much to enjoy here'
-- Sunday Telegraph

'mesmerising...As soon as you open this account of the Thames, you will want to immerse yourself in it' -- Daily Telegraph

This week's best reading: `it's a mixture of macro and micro at which Ackroyd is particularly adept' -- The First Post

`A handsome book... hours of contentment for the armchair boatman... the range of information is impressive'
-- Irish Times

`His exhaustive reclaiming of the Thames inks in colourful new detail' -- TIME

`Peter Ackroyd's detailing of the life of the Thames is wonderful' -- Financial Times

`a rich offering by a masterly writer'
-- Times Literary Supplement

a 'meandering but magnificent tribute to our capital river...it is not just the subject that sets this book apart but also the compelling new perspectives that he [Ackroyd] brings' -- The Times

Book Description:

Thames: Sacred River displays the same qualities as London: the biography: scholarship, wit, discursiveness, lovely descriptive writing, anecdotes, spirit of place, narrative and character. This hugely enjoyable book is packed with fascinating facts and insights: it will be another mammoth bestseller.

About this edition

• Publisher: Chatto & Windus
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0701172843
• ISBN 13: 9780701172848
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 512