1700: Scenes From London Life

Description

More than a capital city, Londoners had witnessed the unthinkable - the public execution of a king at Whitehall. Thousands had died in the Plague of 1665, then the Great Fire of 1666. But from the ashes rose a modern city, rebuilt with the shining dome of Christopher Wren's St Paul's Cathedral, symbolising a new strength and confidence. London, with a population of over half a million, was now Europe's largest, richest and most cosmopolitian city. Maureen Waller describes a familiar yet alien world. Using anecdotes, detail and amusing contrasts, she draws on court records newspapers, and recorded eyewitness accounts to create a vividly colourful vision. of a city at a unique moment in its history.

Reviews

"A traditional, well-documented social history, pungent, entertaining and informative" -- Sunday Times "Impressive learning, lightly worn, gives Waller's portrait a wonderfully vivid feel" -- The Scotsman "fascinating new book... one realises, when reading this book, that one is reading nothing less than an account of the birth pangs of the modern age" -- New Statesman

Author description

Maureen Waller was educated at University College London, where she read Medieval and Modern History. She took a master's degree at Queen Mary College, London in British and European History 1660-1714. After a brief spell at the National Portrait Gallery, she went into publishing. She has worked at many prestigious publishing houses and is currently editor-in-chief for fiction at Book Club Associates.