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.
Download and start listening now!
"A superb portrait of an exciting, thriving, and dangerous city."
— Booklist Starred Review
Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Judith Flanders is the international bestselling author of The Invention of Murder and one of the foremost social historians of the Victorian era. She is a contributor to the London publications Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Spectator, and the Times Literary Supplement. Before turning her hand to writing, she worked as an editor for various publishing houses, including the publications department of the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Corrie James has worked on both sides of the Atlantic in theater, radio, and audiobooks. She credits growing up listening to the BBC for her love of the spoken word. Her audiobooks include The Companion of Lady Holmeshire by Debra Brown and Remember Me by Trezza Azzopardi.