Forgotten London: Exploring the Hidden Life of the City - Hardcover

Ackroyd, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0711287643 ISBN 13: 9780711287648

Publisher: Frances Lincoln, 2025

Synopsis

Peter Ackroyd, acclaimed historian and critic, uncovers London’s hidden past in this richly illustrated journey through its forgotten streets and stories. 

No city shaped the modern world quite like London—a powerhouse of trade, finance, and empire, the centre of global influence in the nineteenth century. But beyond the familiar stories of power and politics, its true life played out in the streets, where market traders, music hall crowds, and factory workers gave it its vitality, its light and its shadows. 

Forgotten London  uncovers these stories, bringing to life the highs and lows of those who made the city what it was. Covering the transformative years from the Victorian era to the Second World War, this book immerses readers in a side of London often overlooked. 

The book is also richly illustrated, featuring rare photographs, colorised images, and period artwork. 

With Peter Ackroyd’s masterful storytelling, this is an unforgettable journey into the city’s past. Step into its streets, meet its people—and see London as you’ve never seen it before. 

About this title

About the Author

London has been the main character in the work of Peter Ackroyd ever since his first novel, The Great Fire of London. His Hawksmoor won the Whitbread and the Guardian Fiction Prize, Chatterton was shortlisted for the Booker, London: the Biography won the South Bank Show Annual Award for Literature. Reviewers commonly categorize him as the Dickens of our day.

Edition details

• Publisher: Frances Lincoln
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0711287643
• ISBN 13: 9780711287648
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256