The Spirit of London

First published as Johnson’s Life of London, now released with new material following Jubilee and Olympic celebrations in 2012. This updated history of London shows that the ingenuity, diversity, creativity and enterprise of the city are second to none.

London’s buildings may be famous, London’s history may be lengthy and illustrious, but it is London’s people who have given, and continue to give, the city its exuberant and exhilarating profile.

London of the Olympic and Jubilee summer displayed Londoners on a world stage, but this is a city which has always lived on the energy and skills of its people, drawn to the capital from all over the country and the world.

Boris Johnson shares with us his pleasure at London’s vitality and unique character, and selects the people who in his view have contributed so much to the spirit of London – some very famous figures, some more obscure. He includes everyone from the Romans to one of the author’s predecessors as mayor, Dick Whittington; from John Wilkes (a strong upholder of the freedom of the press) to J.W. Turner; from Chaucer to Gandhi, and through to modern times.

Due to the limitations of some ereaders, it is not possible to show some special characters.

Reviews

‘A book of hidden gems….his vocabulary is extraordinary and his polymathery a joy….as he cycles through history .we glimpse him everywhere….it is best when Boris’s enthusiasms are on display, as exuberant as a vase of bird-of-paradise blooms’ THE TIMES

‘Revealing anecdotes go far beyond familiar guide-book tales…Johnson’s unerring eye for detail catches your attention but also moves his story on…Johnson sets out his stall for London’s future with such patent sincerity that you’d have to be stony-hearted not to go along for the ride’ MAIL ON SUNDAY

‘As the thumbnail sketches accumulate, we come to realise just how like Boris all the London heroes have been’ EVENING STANDARD

‘Johnson’s sketchbook diverts……(while) Livingstone’s doorstop apologia will try the patience of the most obsessional geek’ INDEPENDENT

About the author

Boris Johnson was elected Mayor of London in May 2008. Before this he was the Editor of the SPECTATOR and Member of Parliament for Henley on Thames. He is the author of many books, notably HAVE I GOT VIEWS FOR YOU and DREAM OF ROME.