Book Review: "The London of Charles Dickens" by London Transport & The Dickens Fellowship

Oh this book was good fun, but let me tell you about where I acquired it to begin with...

On the 2nd of May I went to a book fair in Birmingham and well, first of all I met someone else wearing Rocky Horror gear and he owned the stall I spent the most time at. These were books for a few pounds each and some were even down to one pound. You can imagine what happened. I bought very many a book and will be reviewing them here. Consider this the first of many. After leaving I was sure to select an Evelyn Waugh I had picked up (no, Kendall I am not rereading Brideshead Revisited) and yet, this bright pink cover drew me inwards. Charles Dickens and his adventures in London have proven to be interesting to me from possibly my birth and yet, I haven't encountered such a book in my lifetime. It was a very fun read and if you can pick up a copy then I suggest you do as soon as possible. I haven't had that much fun in a long time.

First of all, this is not your typical book - it is a guidebook. For those of you who haven't been to London, you could use this to go about your day visiting parts of Dickens' life and times. It's complete with images and notes and yet it never feels like someone hasn't done their research. Us Dickens fans know that London wasn't just the backdrop on which Dickens painted a fine canvas of stories, but it was also a central character to understanding what was happening. For example, you cannot ignore the grim realities when Pip in Great Expectations visits Newgate Prison, or the horrific condition in which children live in Oliver Twist. The London of Martin Chuzzlewit is complete with places that are made to escape from, inns and taverns and for some characters - the entire country itself. But everyone returns someday - no matter how horrid it is. It is still home.

We are introduced to how various locations appear in his books. Sections such as those focused on Holborn, the Strand and more show us how these places create meaning, birth chaarcters and have an overall massive impact on the storytelling within. We also get an insight into what Dickens was doing in these places, what he saw in the atmosphere and how he interacted with the setting. From a reader's perspective this is a brilliant story, so vivid and interesting - so deep and wonderful. We definitely feel like we are walking alongside him during the composing of some of his greatest works. The book maps these fictional events on to very real locations and we are all the better for it.

Yes, as Dickens fans, we may already know details about his upbringing and his childhood, his work at factories and how he broke into journalism. But this book gives us not only those details but the places, like a walking tour of his life where we may interact with some of these popular characters, drawing on the real experiences Dickens had and how these places fostered and hindered his future. The illustrations definitely help with this and we are able to envision exactly what it would have been like to walk the streets of say, The Pickwick Papers or maybe even Bleak House. It's all very real and all so consuming. I loved every minute of it and even though it is short, it is as immersive as any longer text.

Yes, we get this image of a moving Victorian City but we also get insight into how London has changed since Dickens' time. This is also covered in a recent read of mine: London by Peter Ackroyd. But I have more books to read on Dickens yet, so hopefully I get more of an insight into these changes and I get to walk once again with Dickens.

All in all, this book was absolutely phenomenal. I was lost from start to finish and admittedly read the whole book in one sitting. I love books with maps and locations, like they're walking you around the place. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did.