London Lore: The legends and traditions of the world's most vibrant city - Hardcover

Roud, Steve

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847945112 ISBN 13: 9781847945112

Publisher: Random House Books, 2008

Synopsis

Few places are so steeped in folklore as London, a city with almost as many ancient legends and deep-rooted customs as it has streets and landmarks, and in London Lore leading folklorist Steve Roud brings together an astonishingly rich selection of them: tales of ghosts and witches, stories about fabled events, heroes and villains, and accounts of local supersitions and beliefs. His range extends right across the capital, from Hampstead in the north, where wild beasts were once thought to roam the sewers, to Anerley Wood in the south, haunt of the much feared Norwood Gypsies, and from Hounslow Heath with its notorious highwaymen to Bethnal Green, long associated with Earl Henry de Montfort, better known as the Blind Beggar.

But London Lore does more than simply retell these stories and traditions; it also delves through layers of hearsay and speculation to investigate how and why they arose in the first place. In the process, it shows how the familiar story of Dick Whittington and his cat has connections with the ancient Middle East. It explains why lions rather than ravens at the Tower of London were once felt to be inextricably bound up with the city's fate. It pinpoints precisely where the story of Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street, was first recorded. And it explores the origins of the once widespread custom of handing out 'farthing bundles' of ribbons, buttons and beads to poor children in the East End. Some of these stories and beliefs are shown to have their origins in actual historical events; others to have stemmed from contemporary preoccupations and fears. What they all reveal is the powerful hold that London has exerted on the popular imagination over the centuries, as each successive generation has reshaped existing tales and added new ones of its own.

About this title

Review:

"It is a wonderful collection of stories and legends, to be recommended to anyone who is at least half in love with the dark side of London's past" (Peter Ackroyd The Times)

"[An] absorbing compendium by folklore expert Steve Roud. He excavates the history of the capital, from obscure suburban streets to famous sites like the Tower of London" (The London Paper)

"I've been enthralled ... The book's real strength lies [in] its exposure of deeper levels of custom, tradition and magical thinking that lie beneath the smooth Tarmac of contemporary realism" (Will Self Evening Standard)

"A spellbinding study of our city's folklore ... digs through layers of hearsay and speculation to investigate how and why the stories and traditions arose in the first place" (Newham Recorder)

"An absorbing and fascinatingly thorough book" (Harrow Observer)

Book Description:

Discover the colourful traditions and bizarre superstitions of the world's most vibrant city

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Books
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1847945112
• ISBN 13: 9781847945112
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 464