Ben Weinreb (1912–1999)

London is too big to fit within the covers of a book.

An obvious statement, since it's a city. But London is too large -- in area, in population, in length of history -- for any tome to cover it fully. Nonetheless this is an excellent and valiant attempt. Within its covers one finds geography, history, sociology, even the occasional bit of fun. And, of course, it's all alphabetical, making it easy to find things.

There will be times when this volume won't include everything you want. Such is show more the fate of all reference books. That is no reason to avoid this fine volume. I find it hard to imagine doing much better. show less

This is the first stop if you're doing any kind of research in and around London, in any era--a must have reference book.