Bradshaw's Illustrated Hand Book to London: And Its Environs 1862 Hardcover – March 5, 2013

Bradshaw's Handbook to London is a typographical reprint of the original. I was initially hesitant to purchase it because I was afraid that the charm of the original would be lost. But I took the plunge and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the changes were minimal. It strongly resembles the original Bradshaw's guide to Victorian London, complete with what appears to be similar typesetting accompanied by engravings that have that 19th century Dickens/Sherlock charm. It's a fascinating guide to a London that is long gone and it often feels like I'm communing with Dickensian ghosts. Here is an intriguing glimpse into an endlessly fascinating era that has vanished into history, written in that quaintly discursive Bradshaw's prose. It's fun to read and strongly recommended if you long to feel the real heartbeat of history.

Such a fun book to have and packed with interesting information, the only downside is the print is very small making it difficult to read…good eyesight required!

Full of interesting information about Victorian England!

Fun snapshot of history. I have the larger red train guide and it is great to look through and see the stuff from the London book.

A concise and fact filled publication of Bradshaw's travel data. Very informative and some of the information can be used today and insights to travel destinations are exceptional!

Publisher of the longest running and most successful of combined railway timetables in the 19th Century, George Bradshaw's name itself became the common name for such guides -- literary figures from Sherlock Holmes to Count Dracula have been known to consult Bradshaws. He also produced travel guides, and this is book is a facsimile reprint of one for walking tours of London in the year 1862. A veritable time capsule in text, it provides detailed descriptions and historical sketches of various streets, sights and districts of the metropolis. The sturdy Victorian prose is relatively straightforward, and though the facsimile type is a little on the small side I found it an amiable and easy read. Most of the original illustrations have also been reproduced, but they are relatively few in number and are engravings which in themselves have little impact -- at least, that's how I reacted to them. Since I'm not in London as I write and many of the sights described no longer exist in any event, I can't stand before a given landmark and read a bit about it before appreciating it in person. And that is a minor problem with this book, which was meant to be used in that manner. In the absence of the sights themselves, and with no great wealth of illustrations, it's difficult at times to visualize, let alone appreciate, the sights described. Still, as I indicated earlier, this little book conveys to some extent the spirit of an age. For the historical or Dickens enthusiast, that should prove a minor treat.

I bought this book as a way to revisit London (on my bike) to see what has changed. It gives you some interesting background information to the different parts of the city, what was there before to make the comparison. The type face is the old fashioned font but outside of this, it is informative, absolutely jam packed with information.You can use one of his routes to plan a day out. Fantastic. Enjoy

Interesting book to dip into as a historical guide to London.

The replicas of the nearly impossible to find Bradshaw's guides from 100+ years ago are a fantastic research tool. It has been fascinating to see the detailed maps and descriptions of places from a bygone era.

Interesting history now of London’s rail system and the Victorian era.

Bought as part of birthday present for husband, who has found it fascinating and was very pleased with it.