The Victorian City, Judith Flanders
The Victorian City, Judith Flanders
List: $21.99 | Sale: $15.39
Club: $10.99

The Victorian City
Everyday Life in Dickens' London

Author: Judith Flanders

Narrator: Corrie James

Unabridged: 16 hr 5 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 03/28/2017


Synopsis

The nineteenth century was a time of unprecedented change, and nowhere was this more apparent than London. In only a few decades, the capital grew from a compact Regency town into a sprawling metropolis of 6.5 million inhabitants, the largest city the world had ever seen. Technology—railways, street-lighting, and sewers—transformed both the city and the experience of city-living, as London expanded in every direction. Now Judith Flanders, one of Britain's foremost social historians, explores the world portrayed so vividly in Dickens' novels, showing life on the streets of London in colorful, fascinating detail. From the moment Charles Dickens, the century's best-loved English novelist and London's greatest observer, arrived in the city in 1822, he obsessively walked its streets, recording its pleasures, curiosities, and cruelties. Now, with him, Flanders leads us through the markets, transport systems, sewers, rivers, slums, alleys, cemeteries, gin palaces, chop-houses, and entertainment emporia of Dickens' London, to reveal the Victorian capital in all its variety, vibrancy, and squalor.

About Judith Flanders

Judith Flanders is a New York Times bestselling author and one of the foremost social historians of the Victorian era. Her The Victorian City was a finalist for the 2014 Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Judith is also the author of a crime fiction series, beginning with A Murder of Magpies. She lives in London.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bionic Jean on November 13, 2024

What does the word "Dickensian" convey to you? An old-fashioned Christmas perhaps, with families collected together around an open fire, admiring the Christmas tree laden with presents and lights, chatting and sipping mulled wine, indulging themselves from a table laden with glorious food, extra tre......more

Goodreads review by Paul on August 27, 2017

O London! City of famous fogs, pea-soupers, the London particular, a choking of the throat and cayenne pepper in the eyes and stepping gingerly along the street you must feel the walls as you goes or you shall tumble into somebody’s cellar for sure, and all the pickpockets glad for the bad days, and......more

Goodreads review by Diana on May 27, 2017

THE VICTORIAN CITY is a meticulously researched and very detailed book about London life during the time Charles Dickens walked its streets. The focus is mainly on the mechanics of daily life, and it gives an in depth look at everything, from how the streets were paved to the little amount of water......more

Goodreads review by Janelle on June 13, 2021

This is an incredibly detailed look at life in London during Dickens lifetime with plenty of references to his novels and other writings. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on how ordinary people lived and worked, the access to food and water, how they travelled (lots of walking!), sanitation, dise......more