This book tunnels down through the geological layers, meeting the creatures, both real and fictional, that dwell in the darkness … More
Tag: London
When London is lost beneath the rising tides, unconscious desires rush to the surface in this apocalyptic tale. Fluctuations in solar radiation have melted the ice caps, sending the planet into a new Triassic Age of unendurable heat. London is a swamp; lush tropical vegetation grows up the walls of the Ritz & primeval reptiles are sighted, swimming through the newly-formed lagoons.
Some flee the capital; others remain to pursue reckless schemes, either in the name of science or profit. While the … More
Preorder Iain Sinclair’s new book due out 20th September 2018. Buildings affect how we sleep, work, socialise & even breathe. They can isolate and endanger us but they can also heal us. We project our hopes & fears onto buildings, while they absorb our histories. In Living With Buildings, Sinclair embarks on a series of expeditions – through London, Marseille, Mexico & the Outer Hebrides.
He explores the relationship between sickness and structure, and between art, architecture, social planning and health, taking plenty of detours … More
This is London’s East End in the 1940s – polyglot, violent, poor. We visit ‘the local’, the blitz & an all-day wedding feast. A vibrant area, but for Jimmy despair awaits when even his father steals from him. And how will Pinkie get on in these changing times? London E1 is introduced by Rachel Lichtenstien.
On the back cover of the first edition of Robert Poole’s long-forgotten first, and only, published novel, London E1 (Secker … More
Spanning generations of characters across a variety of boroughs from the Blitz to the mid-80s, this is a book about the real London that tourists will never find, a London which is being erased by the spread of high-rise flats & shining skyscrapers.
Following a group of released mental patients across the years and streets of London, Moorcock creates a vivid impressionistic portrait … More
In 1977, Savage photographed streets around North Kensington in West London, which, like much of the inner city, had remained derelict since the area was bombed after the war. These served as a visual backdrop for collages in the punk fanzine London’s Outrage, which he edited.
The novels of JG Ballard also inspired him: ‘It was this empty, deserted, depressing, kind of dystopian view of London … More
In the smoky jazz clubs of Soho & the coffee bars of Notting Hill, the young and the restless – the absolute beginners – are revolutionising youth culture & forging a new carefree lifestyle of sex, drugs & rock’n’roll.
Moving in the midst of this world of mods and rockers, Teddy gangs and trads., and snapping every scene with … More
Long ago, the whole of Southern England was covered in forest. Over time, this woodland has been gradually cut back, but small patches remain amidst the suburban sprawl of South-East London. A few ancient oaks still stand in gaps between housing estates, alongside railway lines & acting as boundary markers on roundabouts.
The magic that once filled the ancient forest can still be felt even when the trees are long gone. Memories … More
First published in 2009, during the late show of the New Labour project & against the back-drop of financial crisis. Its account of the privatisation of British cities – their housing stock, open spaces, streets, shopping precincts & public services – served as grim testimony to years of boosterist urban policy.
A new preface begins with the Olympic Park development, from compulsory purchase and enclosure to the Qatari buy-out and drone … More
Born OTD in 1936, Nell Dunn. In ’64, Dunn spoke to 9 of her friends over a bottle of wine about sex, work, money, babies, freedom & love. Back in print after 50 years.
In Talking to Women, Nell Dunn puts her finger on one of the most important, but least-intelligently aired, social problems … More
