First published as Johnson’s Life of London, now released with new material following Jubilee and Olympic celebrations in 2012. This updated history of London shows that the ingenuity, diversity, creativity and enterprise of the city are second to none…


London’s buildings may be famous, London’s history may be lengthy and illustrious, but it is London’s people who have given, and continue to give, the city its exuberant and exhilarating profile.


London of the Olympic and Jubilee summer displayed Londoners on a world stage, but this is a city which has always lived on the energy and skills of its people, drawn to the capital from all over the country and the world.


Boris Johnson shares with us his pleasure at London’s vitality and unique character, and selects the people who in his view have contributed so much to the spirit of London – some very famous figures, some more obscure. He includes everyone from the Romans to one of the author’s predecessors as mayor, Dick Whittington; from John Wilkes (a strong upholder of the freedom of the press) to J.W. Turner; from Chaucer to Gandhi, and through to modern times.