[MR] Interesting childrens' book (adults too!)

[Garth G. Groff]

Noble friends,

UVA library has just received LONDON, [FROM ROMAN CAPITAL TO OLYMPIC 
CITY] by Richard Platt (ISBN 9780753462553; our call # ALDERMAN DA678 
.P53 2009). This is an absolutely fantastic children's picture book, 
tracing the history of London over 2000 years. Two-page spreads done as 
birds' eye views show the city at significant points in time. Of 
particular interest to Scadians (both young and old) are "A Viking Raid, 
A.D. 851", "Norman London, A.D. 1091", "Bridge of Stone, A.D. 1216", 
"Plague! A.D. 1348", "The Age of Print, A.D. 1476", and (slightly 
out-of-period) "Shakespeare's London, A.D. 1602". Of course, all the 
views are fascinating, even though some aren't of direct interest to us 
as middle-ages re-enactors. The details are fantastic, with hundreds of 
tiny people and animals going about their daily business, cut-away walls 
to show interiors, larger detailed inset portraits of major figures and 
activities, plus small locator maps to show were the principal scene is 
located in both the contemporary town and today's city. This is truly a 
lovely book, and the sort of thing your children (or yourselves) will 
return to many times, perhaps noticing something new in a picture. If 
you loved David Maccaulay's CASTLE, you will adore this book.

Kind regards,


Lord Mungo Napier, Shire of Isenfir's Unofficial Librarian