"A thrilling account of the capital during its most dramatic and important era"
"Vivid and engrossing...Lincoln is adept at spotting eloquent details that stick in the mind."–John Carey,
The Sunday Times "Lincoln...not only takes us through the maze of this magnificently chaotic city, but skilfully interweaves the political convulsions that dogged it through the 17th century."–Ben Wilson,
The Times "Brings much engaging detail about London life...The great virtue of Margarette Lincoln's new book is to show us a world in flux, and what we recognise as a sort of modernity coming into being."–Ian Bostridge, Financial Times
"Margarette Lincoln has a curator's gift for selecting all the right details for a thoroughly absorbing account."–Tony Barber,
Financial Times 'Best Books of 2021: History'
"Here are charted the national events and personalities...researched in great depth...to indicate commercial ambition, expansion, and hardship and particularly the untold stories of ordinary Londoners showing how the nation emerged from a turbulent century."–Paul Ridgway,
Seagull of the Indian Maritime Foundation
"A fascinating journey round the best city in the world during the most turbulent period in its long history. Terrorism, war, plague, fire and revolution - they all have their place in an exciting story told with verve and wit."–Adrian Tinniswood, author of
The Long Weekend "Lincoln has the keenest possible eye for the character of the key players, the court as well as the populace, for the process of historical change and for London's street-life, the docks and palace ceremony, coffee houses, gardens and shops. She makes the whole look and feel of the period come alive."–Charles Saumarez Smith, author of
East London "London in the 17th century was visited by apocalyptic events: plague, fire and war. Yet it survived all these, emerging as one of the greatest cities of the Western world. In this lively account, Lincoln shows us how the transformation was possible."–Margaret Willes, author of
The Curious World of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn