Synopsis
The Thames displays the same qualities as London: The Biography: scholarship, wit, discursiveness, lovely descriptive writing, anecdotes, spirit of place and character. It is hugely enjoyable and sure to be another mammoth bestseller.
The Thames is about the river from source to sea, from prehistoric times to the present, its flora and fauna, the paintings and photographs inspired by the Thames, its geology, smells and colours, its literature, laws, magic and myths, its architecture, trade and weather.
The reader learns about the fishes that swim in the river and the boats that ply on its surface, about floods and tides, hauntings and suicides, miasmas and sewers, locks, weirs and embankments.
Here is Shelley floating on the river under poetical beech trees, Hogarth getting roaring drunk on a boat trip to Gravesend, William Morris wondering whether the same Thames water flowed past his windows in Hammersmith as flowed past his house at Kelmscott, 100 miles upriver.
Peter Ackroyd has a genius for digging out the most surprising and entertaining details, and for writing about them in the most magisterial prose.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Peter Ackroyd was born and raised in London, where he still lives. His groundbreaking book London: The Biography has spawned many imitators. First published in 2000, it sold 125,000 copies in Chatto hardback and 250,000 copies in paperback.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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The Thames: Sacred River
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Hardcover. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0701172843I5N00
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The Thames: Sacred River
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Hardcover. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Missing dust jacket; Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0701172843I5N01
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Thames Sacred River
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The Thames : Sacred River
Published by
Penguin Random House, 2007
ISBN 10: 0701172843
ISBN 13: 9780701172848
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books: West, Reno, NV, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. First Edition. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # GRP16274263
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The Thames : Sacred River
Published by
Penguin Random House, 2007
ISBN 10: 0701172843
ISBN 13: 9780701172848
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books: West, Reno, NV, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. First Edition. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 8898935-6
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The Thames: Sacred River
Seller: HPB-Ruby, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority! Seller Inventory # S_460177708
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Thames: Sacred River
Published by
Vintage Publishing, United Kingdom, London, 2007
ISBN 10: 0701172843
ISBN 13: 9780701172848
Used
Paperback
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. "Thames: Sacred River" is about the river from source to sea. It covers history from prehistoric times to the present, the flora and fauna of the river, paintings and photographs inspired by the Thames, its geology, smells and colours, its literature, laws and landscape, its magic and myths, its architecture, trade and weather. The reader learns about the fishes that swim in the river and the boats that ply on its surface; about floods and tides; hauntings and suicides; miasmas and sewers; locks, weirs and embankments. 'My fair lady' of London Bridge is Falling Down is identified as Eleanor, Queen of Henry lll; Mapledurham House near Henley as Toad Hall of Wind in the Willows.In AD 54, the river was 14 feet shallower than it is now, flowing sluggishly at low tide through sandbanks and swamps: thus Caesar and his legions could cross the Thames and defeat the British tribes. 1700 years later, malaria in the marshes of the estuary was so terrible that some men had 'from 5 to 6, to 14 or 15 wives' consequence, as Ackroyd writes drily, of mortality not profligacy. Here is Shelley floating on the river under poetical beech trees, Hogarth getting roaring drunk on a boatrip to Gravesend, William Morris wondering whether the same Thames water flowed past his windows in Hammersmith as flowed past his house at Kelmscott 100 miles upriver.Did you know that Pepys (in 1661) was the first to mention a dock on the Thames? That 'toe-rag' (meaning despised individual) derives from sacking worn over the boots of workers in the grain and corn warehouses of Milwall Docks? That hangings continued at Execution Dock until 1834? Peter Ackroyd has a genius for digging out the most surprising and entertaining details, and for writing about them in magisterial prose. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR001208304
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Condition: Very Good. 1779106695. 5/18/2026 12:18:15 PM. Seller Inventory # U9780701172848
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The Thames : Sacred River
Published by
Penguin Random House, 2007
ISBN 10: 0701172843
ISBN 13: 9780701172848
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books Ltd, Dunfermline, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. First Edition. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # GRP16274263
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Stock Image
The Thames : Sacred River
Published by
Penguin Random House, 2007
ISBN 10: 0701172843
ISBN 13: 9780701172848
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Better World Books Ltd, Dunfermline, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. First Edition. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 8898935-6
Buy Used
US$ 6.12
US$ 6.72 shipping
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
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