London

As Samuel Johnson said, "a man who is tired of London is tired of life."   I share his view.  London continues to thrive attracting nearly every nationality in globe.  I didn't set out to collect books on London but here's what I've got.

1.  London: The Biography, Peter Ackroyd (2000).   Everything from the great city's pre-Norman history to the Middle Ages, historic neighborhoods, theaters, rich and poor.  Ackroyd  effectively uses history and anecdotes to tell the great city's story.  A Christmas gift from my mother, 2002 with the inscription, "In preparation for your next trip to London."

2.  Boswell's London Journal: 1762-1763, Edited by Frederick Pottle (1950).    Twenty-two year old Boswell gives a candid account of his adventures in London during the time of George III.  Bought used as a first edition but can't remember where.  A book seal showing it was from the Library of of William J. Muniak with a scale of justice in the center of the seal.

3.   The Romance of London: Historic Sketches, Remarkable Duels, Notorious Highwaymen, Rogues, Crimes and Pnshiments and Love and Marriage, John Timbs (1927?).   Bought used at the State Department book store with the inscription, "Margentina, from Grandpapa and Grammy, London, July 21st, 1927    All of us on the same bough from whence we sprang."

4.  Down and Out in Paris and London, George Orwell (1933).  Presented as a novel but mostly autobiographical about Orwell's life as a young, poor and struggling writer in London  Bought new.