"Irresistible. . . . [A] short but fascinating history of the capital beneath the surface." –The Financial Times
"Wondrous. . . . Ackroyd follows seemingly all the rivers, streams, pipes, sewers and tunnels that ever crisscrossed the city." –
The New York Times Book Review "There is perhaps no other English writer today as dedicated a Londoner as Peter Ackroyd. . . . A memorable homage to [London]." –
The San Francisco Chronicle Beautiful. . . . Each chapter has a vital story full of intriguing detail. . . . Ackroyd writes with his usual enthusiastic flair, and entertains us with chthonic demons and treasures." –
The Columbus Dispatch "Relentlessly interesting urban mythology, from unearthed Roman galleys to subterranean Cabinet War Rooms." –
New York Daily News "Throughout the book, Ackroyd is not just interested in London's hidden relics; he's interested in what they–and the idea of an underground–mean to a culture. London's underworld is a 'shadow or replica of the city, ' and it is also a shadow of ourselves and our thoughts, the stuff that's discovered when we open the trapdoor." –
The Daily Beast "Anyone intrigued by this tumultuous city will devour
London Under in a few transporting hours. . . . Packed with revelations. . . . Ackroyd's stylistic brilliance explains why the book remains a rattling good read." –
The Independent (London) "For Peter Ackroyd, the subterranean world holds a potent allure.
London Under, his brief account of the capital's catacombs and other murky zones, manages to radiate a dark mystery and sulphur reek. . . . Fascinating. . . . Peter Ackroyd illuminates the shadow world within us all." –
The Spectator "With quick, deft stitches he sews the fantastical and the familiar into a macabre sampler of the city that exists beneath the feet of its citizens." –
The Times (London)
"As ever his research is meticulous, his scope expansive, his writing definitive. Every sentence is delivered with judicial gravity and command. . . . Once again, Ackroyd shares his vision of a mythical city most do not see." –
Time Out "For Peter Ackroyd, the subterranean world holds a potent allure. London Under, his brief account of the capital's catacombs and other murky zones, manages to radiate a dark mystery and sulphur reek. . . . Fascinating. . . . Peter Ackroyd illuminates the shadow world within us all." –
The Spectator "With quick, deft stitches he sews the fantastical and the familiar into a macabre sampler of the city that exists beneath the feet of its citizens." –
The Times (London)
