Walking Jane Austen’s London (Shire General) Paperback – June 25, 2013

I'm often not a fan of Shire books, or others of the type, that try to take on a huge subject in a very limited number of pages. But that opinion doesn't take Louise Allen into account. She's a solid novelist, but like all of us novelists she's drifted into other sorts of writing out of necessity. I've drifted into doing historical research, for all sorts of businesses, including cable TV. That's why I have such enormous respect for her. She's able to do something astonishing, giving a deep and thorough view of a subject in a very lean package. I knew Paris far better than London, and I was very nervous, doing my first book set there. I actually ordered two books, at great expense, that were contemporaneous, both of them period guidebooks of London. They were great, of course. But I still found myself consulting this little book, constantly. It ended up on my desk rather than my bookshelves, along with four or five others I used constantly. And for a traveler to London it's an eminently packable size, thin and lightweight, easily slipped into a backpack.She does a terrific job of cutting this large and cosmopolitan city down to size. With the terrific arrangement of photos and maps, you feel as if you're there, truly. At first I was irritated that all the maps were modern - it didn't help that I was having a hard time finding good period maps of both England and London. But surprisingly, as time passed, I saw that it was a better way. Not just for an Austen-loving tourist, who can walk these areas now and see them through her lens as you follow her text, but for a modern researcher. Much of London hasn't changed all that much, and when it has, the places are still there, with something else on them. It's not Bridewell anymore, it's a hotel. But it's still there, and the maps combined with the description of your walk brings it to life. I've since discovered other of her books along these lean lines. Two of my favorites are Stagecoach Travel, an attempt to explain their complex and vitally-important coaching system of the period, and Regency Slang, an invaluable book that takes a half-dozen major sources of the cryptic Regency slang and lays them out, blessedly, by topic rather than alphabetically. Both are a godsend for any writer or researcher.I wish Ms. Allen a long life and the energy to do many more of these books, despite the mess the publishing business is in. Apart from the large Regency audience, writers need her, very much. I'd love to meet her someday, someplace like a Romance Writers of America conference. She should have a large display table at all of them.

I followed Walk 5 from Soho to the British Museum on a recent visit to London. It was relatively easy to follow the map and directions. There is less information about Jane Austen and more about the history of the period in general. London has been rebuilt a lot so it was helpful to have a guide to point to some of the layers that otherwise I might walk past and not notice. It doesn't take so long to complete the walk, except I was distracted by shopping opportunities along the way! I am going to share this book with other Jane Austen enthusiasts at my local library.The photo is of the place where the poet Shelley lived after he was sent down from Oxford. He chose the location because he was sympathetic to the Polish revolutionaries and these lodgings are on Poland Street.

I loved this book so much. I have read other London walking tour and Jane Austen walking tour books, and this is my favorite by far. I wish I had known about it before my last trip to London. It made for some fun armchair travelling, however, and next time I have the opportunity, I will take at least a couple of these walks. Anyone who loves historic London and/or Jane Austen will love this book.

I love everything about the book. It is organized by "sections" of London. It includes easy to view maps with the "path" of the walk marked. The additional information is interesting and informative. Can't wait to go back to London and do some of the "walks" that I haven't done.

Fun and fabulous book -- plus an excellent opportunity to see London today ... and 200 years ago. I did two of the walks and just loved them. Can't wait to do more.

I loved this little gem. For those of you who want to "see" Jane Austin's London- this is the book. Great for those who love the Regency genre- this book puts "faces" to the places you read about in all the Regency romances. Love the sights and smells the book related!

The likelihood that I'll ever visit London is very slight, but I almost feel as if I've been there. This is a slight little book with a lot of stuff of interest in it for anybody who loves Jane Austen and the regency. Well worth having.

A good walking tour of London during Austen's time but I would have liked a bit depth. Still, a good read.

First class service I bought for my wife well done

very comprehensive tour of the London Jane Austen would have known.

This is a well-informed and seriously undertaken book, well-organised and illustrated, nicely printed. It serves well as an introduction to what remains of Austen's London.

Excellent

Not only is this a fun and easy read, but the walks are really splendid. The book gives you a look back in time to how things were in Jane Austen's time.