For eight centuries the City of London has hosted one of the world's greatest public parades, as the newly elected Lord Mayor embarks on a procession through the heart of the City to the edge of Westminster, culminating in an oath of allegiance to the representatives of the Crown. This ancient tradition has become one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the London calendar, combining pageantry with carnivaleseque levity in a distinctly English blend of grandeur and irreverence.

This book brings together a host of experts to provide a portrait of the Show across all periods and from a variety of different perspectives. The landmark locations such as the Guildhall and St Paul's, the regiments and livery companies with a proud history of participation in the Show, the Lord Mayor himself (more recently, herself) and his coach, barge, robes and banquet - all are here, as well as some of the fascinating ways in which the Show has been represented, from the paintings of Canaletto and the cartoons of George Cruikshank to the films of Alfred Hitchcock. This collectionof essays, beautifully illustrated with archive and newly commissioned photography, presents an engagingly kaleidoscopic vision of one of the nation's best-loved annual events.