Book Review: "London" by Peter Ackroyd (Pt. 1)

Peter Ackroyd is definitely an author I've chosen to spend more time with this year on account that I read an essay about how great he is by Christopher Hitchens. Like Andrew Hussey does in his book on Paris, Ackroyd teaches us about the time in which London was first London, but then he takes us all the way back through to the prehistoric era. The story is complete with figures and stones that tell us the story of what happened and when. Peter Ackroyd's incredible storytelling makes this a book I could not possibly miss out on, but one that I had to wait to read because of how long and intensive the experience was about to be.

The story starts off with Ackroyd writing about London as one of the most important cities in the world. It is a short love letter to the city and it basically tells us what we are getting ourselves into. Once we've read that, we are ready to tackle this book. I have been made aware that this part of the book is the introduction and some of you don't read 'introductory' chapters to books. My question about this is why would you never read the introduction? Why is it that you find it appropriate to just dive headfirst into the book? Do you miss the prologue in a work of fiction? No. Why do you miss out the introduction in a work of nonfiction? I am astounded and appalled. I was made aware of this online and I wish I hadn't been.

Anyways, the first part concerns itself with London in its prehistory up until the great year of 1066. Much of this is about the way in which London was once an entirely different place with marshlands and not much really going on. Peter Ackroyd even makes not much going on though, sound intriguing because we know exactly where it is heading. The chapter on the 'stones' really is quite interesting because of the fact that Ackroyd states that you can still see these older stones dotted around the city today. These stones are of course, from times gone long, long by - but they each tell the story of London in a way that perhaps one of those tour busses cannot.

As we move into the Battle of Hastings, we see William the Conqueror who comes into London via the old entrance to the city and takes the throne. Edward the Confessor, it is said, created London as this hub for royalty for he built his Westminster Abbey there. Ackroyd talks to us about visions that William Blake had almost one thousand years later upon the altar of Westminster Abbey and I mean, who can say religious or not that they have not been left in awe at the architecture of the place? No, I'm not religious but the building is absolutely beautiful. I went there for my birthday some years ago and it was amazing.

As we move into the era of the Late Middle Ages, Peter Ackroyd gives us an overview of our kings and who they were, where they sat and their views on London. This takes place from William the Conqueror right down to Henry III in which the author describes fighting in the streets and a country at odds with its king. It's true that the more people there were in London now, from perhaps countries that were not so friendly with each other meant that there would be more violence and yet, London was still a bustling place of business. Trade routes opened up and the Thames was one of those places that was well travelled even in this time.

The writing of this book I have noticed is far different to the other books I have read by Peter Ackroyd. Instead of this being the biography of a person which tells the chronology of their life and times, this book is a bustling and rowdy history complete with quotations and documents, maps and references to do with the city. It is far less calm and more of an adventure through time. It is slowly becoming one of my favourite books by the author. Let's just hope it stays that way throughout!