From the Great Fire of 1666 to the Blitz of the Second World War, from the building of the Tower of London to the building of Canary Wharf, London has always been much more than just a capital city. This anthology, edited by A. N. Wilson, reflects not merely a sense of place but also the teeming eclecticism and vitality of a town which prompted Samuel Johnson to declare: ‘When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.’