The Rough Guide to London (Rough Guides Main Series) - Softcover

Rob Humphreys; Guy Barefoot

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1858281172 ISBN 13: 9781858281179

Publisher: Rough Guides, 1995

Synopsis

This Guide covers London from Windsor in the west to Woolwich in the east. The main section (391pp) breaks the capital down into districts of about a square kilometer, and for each describes tourist attractions and gives a street plan. The remaining 150pp provide listings of places to stay, to eat and drink, clubs, theatres, shops, markets and sporting facilities. The volume as a whole provides a snapshot of London as it was 20 years ago.

About this title

Review

The Rough Guide to London must have represented a considerable challenge for author Rob Humphreys: not only is the library of guide books to the capital overstuffed, Humphreys was faced with creating the definitive insider's guide for an imprint which has long enjoyed very high expectations in its dedicated army of users. The Rough Guide series has always marked itself out as the most incisive, lively, hyper-informed and (most of all) unstuffy series of guides on the market. Previous editions of this pithy and highly accessible book have comprehensively established its credentials, and they're copper-bottomed. Whether you're looking for a truly idiosyncratic guide to the more esoteric byways of the Big Smoke (with particularly useful and offbeat sections on the performing arts and sport) or a straight-down-the-middle guide to all the standard tourist attractions, Humphreys' book pulls off the impressive conjuring trick of functioning on both levels. While the guide is perfectly judged for the reader living on the British mainland, there are useful sections on getting to London from North America, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, with up-to-date info on visas, customs, tax and work permits (the latter will be particularly useful for students: always a key audience for the Rough Guide series). And the sections on the more boring necessities such as insurance, post and health are dispatched with economy and accuracy. But it's in conveying the city's rich topography and history that Humphreys really soars, and a casual glance at the sections on Fleet Street, the South Bank and trendy areas such as Clerkenwell will have both die-hard Londoners and visitors keen to track down the points he ticks off. As ever in the series, illustrations and colour are kicked out in favour of hard-core info, and even if you've picked up earlier editions, the ever-shifting flux of one of the world's greatest cities has ensured that you probably need this new, comprehensively updated volume. --Barry Forshaw

Review

Clear and comprehensive...compulsive reading...jam-packed with information. -- The Express, London, UK

Impressive research on architecture and history, and thorough coverage of the capital's attractions. -- People Magazine, USA

Edition details

• Publisher: Rough Guides
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1858281172
• ISBN 13: 9781858281179
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 585