About this item
A tantalizing and thrilling history of London at the time of King Charles II, from the acclaimed co-author of The King's Revenge and The King's Bed. During the reign of Charles II, London was a city in flux. After years of civil war and political turmoil, England's capital became the center for major advances in the sciences, the theatre, architecture, trade and ship-building that paved the way for the creation of the British Empire. At the heart of this activity was the King, whose return to power from exile in 1660 lit the fuse for an explosion in activity in all spheres of city life. London flourished, its wealth, vibrancy and success due to many figures famous today including Christopher Wren, Samuel Pepys, and John Dryden -- and others whom history has overlooked until now. Throughout the quarter-century Charles was on the throne, London suffered several serious reverses: the plague in 1665 and the Great Fire in 1666, and severe defeat in the Second Anglo-Dutch War, which brought about notable economic decline. But thanks to the genius and resilience of the people of London, and the occasionally wavering stewardship of the King, the city rose from the ashes to become the economic capital of Europe.The King's City tells the gripping story of a city that defined a nation and birthed modern Britain -- and how the vision of great individuals helped to build the richly diverse place we know today. 8 pages of black and white illustrations
About the Author
During a career writing for newspapers and television, I began writing history books with my friend and historian Michael Walsh. it seemed a logical extension to the historical documentaries we'd been involved with. Soon after, the Founding-Director of the Centre for Investigative Journalism, Gavin MacFadyen, said we had 'Invested a new genre - investigative history.' We began to think - and hope - we were on the right track. When Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison called White Cargo a 'remarkable book' and said on NPR that it was the catalyst for her novel A Mercy, we were thrilled. After that, we were emboldened to continue trying to find something which other writers hadn't said. Hence, in The King's Revenge, we covered an aspect of Charles II's restoration which previous biographers had omitted to explore. The same driving force was behind The King's Bed. Mike Walsh sadly died a few years ago and since then I've carried on without his wisdom and comradeship as best I can, trying to say things others haven't.
