Overview

"""Craig Taylor is the real deal: a peerless journalist and a beautiful craftsman."" --David Rakoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Fraud and Half Empty ""Londoners is a wonderful book--I wanted it to be twice as long."" --Diana Athill, New York Times bestselling author of Somewhere Towards the End In Londoners, acclaimed journalist Craig Taylor paints readers an epic portrait of today's London that is as rich and lively as the city itself. In the style of Studs Terkel (Working, Hard Times, The Good War) and Dave Isay (Listening Is an Act of Love), Londoners offers up the stories, the gripes, the memories, and the dreams of those in the great and vibrant British metropolis who ""love it, hate it, live it, left it, and long for it,"" from a West End rickshaw driver to a Soldier of the Guard at Buckingham Palace to a recovering heroin addict seeing Big Ben for the very first time. Published just in time for the 2012 London Olympic Games, Londoners is a glorious literary celebration of one of the world's truly great cities."

Full Product Details

9780062005854

Table of Contents

Reviews

An epic portrait in eighty voices that shows the city to be just as . . . Dickensian as it has ever been. --David Nicholls, bestselling author of One Day

A remarkable volume [of] countless funny, terrifying, epic stories. --Guardian (London) Fans of Studs Terkel's insightful oral histories will be delighted to discover a successor in Taylor. . . . His book brings London to life as it is--ever changing, ever eternal, ever unforgettable. A delight! --Library Journal (starred review) Five stars! --Time Out London Highly engaging. . . . Bursts with charm, edification, and life. --Booklist A thrilling portrait of the city. . . . Enchanting. . . . I feel I almost learned more about Londoners from this book than from being a Londoner for more than four decades. . . . Too good to miss. --Oona King, The Times (London) Splendid. . . . A remarkable volume [of] countless funny, terrifying, epic stories. --Guardian (London) Londoners is a wonderful book--I wanted it to be twice as long. --Diana Athill, bestselling author of Somewhere Towards the End Alternately poignant, uplifting, amusing and sad. . . . A nicely polished oral history--good reading. --Kirkus Reviews A remarkable new book that celebrates the city's endless diversity. . . . Five stars. --Time Out London From Brixton to Piccadilly Circus, a fascinating oral history of contemporary London. --Chicago Tribune Immensely enjoyable. . . . Reminded us of Studs Terkel's best books. --The Observer's Very Short List A rich and exuberant kaleidoscopic portrait of a great, messy, noisy, daunting, inspiring, maddening, enthralling, constantly shifting Rorschach test of a place. . . . Delightful. . . . In Taylor's patient and sympathetic hands, regular people become poets, philosophers, orators. --New York Times Book Review Impressive. . . . A scintillating oral history. --Newark Star Ledger Fascinating. . . . Makes you want to join Taylor in The London Chase. --Minneapolis Star Tribune Whether or not you know London, whether or not you love it, this book is for you. . . . A polyphonic hymn to the Big Smoke. --Newsday Engaging. . . . A treasury of compact vignettes from voices that are rarely heard but come closer to the truth of the city than any travel brochure or official document. --Pittsburgh Tribune-Review The best book about London in at least a decade. . . . Masterful. . . . A cracking and insightful read [that] will still be widely enjoyed 50 years from now. Treat yourself . . . you really are investing in a classic. --Londonist.com A rich and exuberant kaleidoscopic portrait of a great, messy, noisy, daunting, inspiring, maddening, enthralling, constantly shifting Rorschach test of a place. . . . Delightful. . . . In Taylor s patient and sympathetic hands, regular people become poets, philosophers, orators. --New York Times Book Review Remarkable. . . . Essential. . . . Enlightening. . . . Londoners offers an impression of the city s people, a way to understand their motives and fears and the simmering rush. It captures the combination of quiet desperation and boundless optimism required to live [there]. --San Francisco Chronicle Whether or not you know London, whether or not you love it, this book is for you. . . . A polyphonic hymn to the Big Smoke. --Newsday Fascinating. . . . Makes you want to join Taylor in The London Chase. --Minneapolis Star Tribune Engaging. . . . A treasury of compact vignettes from voices that are rarely heard but come closer to the truth of the city than any travel brochure or official document. --Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Impressive. . . . A scintillating oral history. --Newark Star Ledger From Brixton to Piccadilly Circus, a fascinating oral history of contemporary London. --Chicago Tribune A thrilling portrait of the city. . . . Enchanting. . . . I feel I almost learned more about Londoners from this book than from being a Londoner for more than four decades. . . . Too good to miss. --Oona King, The Times (London) The best book about London in at least a decade. . . . Masterful. . . . A cracking and insightful read [that] will still be widely enjoyed 50 years from now. Treat yourself . . . you really are investing in a classic. --Londonist.com Fans of Studs Terkel s insightful oral histories will be delighted to discover a successor in Taylor. . . . His book brings London to life as it is ever changing, ever eternal, ever unforgettable. A delight! --Library Journal (starred review) Immensely enjoyable. . . . Reminded us of Studs Terkel s best books. --The Observer's Very Short List A remarkable new book that celebrates the city s endless diversity. . . . Five stars. --Time Out London Splendid. . . . A remarkable volume [of] countless funny, terrifying, epic stories. --Guardian (London) Highly engaging. . . . Bursts with charm, edification, and life. --Booklist Alternately poignant, uplifting, amusing and sad. . . . A nicely polished oral history good reading. --Kirkus Reviews An epic portrait in eighty voices that shows the city to be just [as] Dickensian as it has ever been. --David Nicholls, bestselling author of One Day Londoners is a wonderful book I wanted it to be twice as long. --Diana Athill, bestselling author of Somewhere Towards the End Samuel Johnson said, When you are tired of London, you re tired of life. Craig Taylor is tired of neither London nor life, and this book is a gorgeous, utterly irresistible even addictive ode to both. --David Shields, bestselling author of The Thing About Life Is That One Day You'll Be Dead and Reality Hunger Ambitious [and] creative. . . . A book to deepen your relationship with London and make you fall in - or out - of love with it all over again. . . . I can t tell you how much I enjoyed it. --Lucy Worsley, author of If Walls Could Talk Craig Taylor is the real deal: a peerless journalist and a beautiful craftsman. He d be a household name already if he wasn t so modest. He ll be one anyway in due course. --David Rakoff, bestselling author of Fraud and Half Empty Craig Taylor is the real deal: a peerless journalist and a beautiful craftsman. He'd be a household name already if he wasn't so modest. He'll be one anyway in due course. --David Rakoff, bestselling author of Fraud and Half Empty Ambitious [and] creative. . . . A book to deepen your relationship with London and make you fall in - or out - of love with it all over again. . . . I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it. --Lucy Worsley, author of If Walls Could Talk Samuel Johnson said, 'When you are tired of London, you're tired of life.' Craig Taylor is tired of neither London nor life, and this book is a gorgeous, utterly irresistible--even addictive--ode to both. --David Shields, bestselling author of The Thing About Life Is That One Day You'll Be Dead and Reality Hunger Londoners is a wonderful book--I wanted it to be twice as long. --Diana Athill, bestselling author of Somewhere Towards the End An epic portrait in eighty voices that shows the city to be just [as] Dickensian as it has ever been. --David Nicholls, bestselling author of One Day Remarkable. . . . Essential. . . . Enlightening. . . . Londoners offers an impression of the city's people, a way to understand their motives and fears and the simmering rush. It captures the combination of quiet desperation and boundless optimism required to live [there]. --San Francisco Chronicle

The best book about London in at least a decade. . . . Masterful. . . . A cracking and insightful read [that] will still be widely enjoyed 50 years from now. Treat yourself . . . you really are investing in a classic. --Londonist.com Engaging. . . . A treasury of compact vignettes from voices that are rarely heard but come closer to the truth of the city than any travel brochure or official document. --Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Impressive. . . . A scintillating oral history. --Newark Star Ledger Whether or not you know London, whether or not you love it, this book is for you. . . . A polyphonic hymn to the Big Smoke. --Newsday Immensely enjoyable. . . . Reminded us of Studs Terkel's best books. --The Observer's Very Short List A remarkable new book that celebrates the city's endless diversity. . . . Five stars. --Time Out London A thrilling portrait of the city. . . . Enchanting. . . . I feel I almost learned more about Londoners from this book than from being a Londoner for more than four decades. . . . Too good to miss. --Oona King, The Times (London) Splendid. . . . A remarkable volume [of] countless funny, terrifying, epic stories. --Guardian (London) Samuel Johnson said, 'When you are tired of London, you're tired of life.' Craig Taylor is tired of neither London nor life, and this book is a gorgeous, utterly irresistible--even addictive--ode to both. --David Shields, bestselling author of The Thing About Life Is That One Day You'll Be Dead and Reality Hunger Craig Taylor is the real deal: a peerless journalist and a beautiful craftsman. He'd be a household name already if he wasn't so modest. He'll be one anyway in due course. --David Rakoff, bestselling author of Fraud and Half Empty An epic portrait in eighty voices that shows the city to be just [as] Dickensian as it has ever been. --David Nicholls, bestselling author of One Day Ambitious [and] creative. . . . A book to deepen your relationship with London and make you fall in - or out - of love with it all over again. . . . I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it. --Lucy Worsley, author of If Walls Could Talk Londoners is a wonderful book--I wanted it to be twice as long. --Diana Athill, bestselling author of Somewhere Towards the End Remarkable. . . . Essential. . . . Enlightening. . . . Londoners offers an impression of the city's people, a way to understand their motives and fears and the simmering rush. It captures the combination of quiet desperation and boundless optimism required to live [there]. --San Francisco Chronicle A rich and exuberant kaleidoscopic portrait of a great, messy, noisy, daunting, inspiring, maddening, enthralling, constantly shifting Rorschach test of a place. . . . Delightful. . . . In Taylor's patient and sympathetic hands, regular people become poets, philosophers, orators. --New York Times Book Review Highly engaging. . . . Bursts with charm, edification, and life. --Booklist From Brixton to Piccadilly Circus, a fascinating oral history of contemporary London. --Chicago Tribune Fascinating. . . . Makes you want to join Taylor in The London Chase. --Minneapolis Star Tribune Fans of Studs Terkel's insightful oral histories will be delighted to discover a successor in Taylor. . . . His book brings London to life as it is--ever changing, ever eternal, ever unforgettable. A delight! --Library Journal (starred review) Alternately poignant, uplifting, amusing and sad. . . . A nicely polished oral history--good reading. --Kirkus Reviews

Author Information

Craig Taylor is the author of Return to Akenfield and One Million Tiny Plays About Britain, both of which have been adapted for the stage. He is also the editor of the literary magazine Five Dials. He lives in London.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available