Spitalfields Life

"I am going to write every single day and tell you about my life here in Spitalfields at the heart of London..." Drawing comparisons with Pepys, Mayhew and Dickens, the gentle author of Spitalfields Life has gained an extraordinary following in recent years, by writing hundreds of lively pen portraits of the infinite variety of people who live and work in the East End of London. Everything you seek in London can be found here - street life, street art, markets, diverse food, immigrant culture, ancient houses and history, pageants and parades, rituals and customs, traditional trades and old family businesses. Spend a night in the bakery at St John, ride the rounds with the Spitalfields milkman, drop in to the Golden Heart for a pint, meet a fourth-generation paper bag seller, a mudlark who discovers treasure in the river Thames, a window cleaner who sees ghosts and a master bell-founder whose business started in 1570. Join the bunny girls for their annual reunion, visit the wax sellers of Wentworth Street and discover the site of Shakespeare's first theatre. All of human life is here in Spitalfields Life.

ISBN 1444703951   Pages 448 ISBN13 9781444703955 (What's this?)   Weight (grammes) 810 Publisher Hodder & Stoughton General Division   Published in London Imprint Saltyard Books   Height (mm) 207 Format Hardback   Width (mm) 161 Publication date 01 Mar 2012   Spine width (mm) 45 DEWEY 942.15   Academic level General DEWEY edition DC23

Sam Johnson would have said, "If you aren't reading Spitalfields Life, you are tired of life, " etc. It's wondrous. -- Twitter @ Skdadl 20110108 If someone created a local blogs award ceremony, Spitalfields Life would sweep the nominations list like the King's Speech. We'd certainly select it for best blog, best interviews and best (relative) newcomer. The format is simple, but done with panache. Every single day, the 'gentle author' tracks down a fascinating local character for an interview and photo shoot. Just in the past three days we've had a foam merchant, a man with 330-year-old wallpaper, and a selection of clowns at the annual Grimaldi service. Whatever next? -- The Londonist 20110209 'Lovingly drawn portraits of remarkable, ordinary folk ... a towering achievement ... SPITALFIELDS LIFE is undoubtedly a significant work of social history' -- Guardian 20120320 'My London book of the year... A quite beautiful design from Saltyard Books... East End life tumbles from these pages in truly Chaucerian abundance... Each interviewee fits a piece into the magnificent mosaic. As a result of this painstaking work of listening, shaping and explaining, comments the Gentle Author, "the city has become a more human place for me". It will for every reader too' -- Independent 20120323 'Following in the footsteps of Dickens, Pepys and Orwell, the author blends history with interviews in a series of short pen portraits ... An elegantly presented, generous and good-natured book, it offers an antidote to the sense of disconnection a big city such as London can engender. A city is its people and here they are celebrated in a way that will resonate beyond the East End' -- Financial Times Weekend 20120224 'For a unique insight into everyday life in the East End, let blogger The Gentle Author take you on a journey into Spitalfields' street life, art, markets, houses and culture ... A treasure trove' -- Evening Standard ES magazine 20120224 'These wonderful stories shine anew in an attractive, beautifully illustrated book format. We can't recommend it highly enough' -- Londonist 20120228 'This fine collection includes many memorable episodes on the history and heritage of the area, and many colourful characters such as a rhyme collector, street artist, rapper, mudlark and a master bell founder' -- The Times 20120228 'For the brief time of reading, one steps into the skin of the subject, and inhabits them. Inherits them, perhaps.' -- Evening Standard 20120228 'SPITALFIELDS LIFE points you to London's hidden gems' -- Stylist 20120228 'Charming yarns and fascinating nuggets of local history ... there's plenty to admire in this endearing, beautifully illustrated volume' -- Time Out 20120228 'A lovely book ... A celebration of London life in all its unpredictable quirkiness, a paean to what the Gentle Author sees as Londoners' defining feature - their resourcefulness ... They are given a fitting memorial in these eloquent pages' -- Times Literary Supplement 20120228 'Beguiling ... follows in the tradition of Pepys or Dickens in its attention to the lively diversity of the city' -- The Lady 20120228 'A thing of sheer wonder, and I don't know where to start with all the things I love about it ... By celebrating the extraordinary things that make this area special it must be hoped The Gentle Author will help protect them. And the sumptuous prose is accompanied by some stunning visuals... All in all it's a joy to hold, a joy to read and a joy to look at.' -- It's Nice That 20120302 'A joy to read, whether you know Spitalfields or not ... It's not for nothing that the author's observational skills and ability to convey them to the reader have led some to liken them to Pepys and Dickens ... Some places have a heart and a soul, a special something, and if it touches you it will grip you and hold you and captivate you. Spitalfields is such a place ... An unusual book that's pure joy, a tribute to life' -- We Love This Book 20120302 'Every once in a while a

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Version	Price	Published	Edition
Paperback	£14.99	2013