Author(s): Lucinda Hawksley

History

London is now some 2,000 years old, and for the last thousand has been one of the greatest cities on earth. Engulfed in calamities that seemed to mark its end - fire, plague, riot, civil war, mass bombing - it has emerged from each crisis stronger than ever. Its cultural life and long heritage has made London one of the most visited and best-loved places in the world today. With intriguing facts and stories, The London Treasury looks at the minutiae of everyday life, as well as the major London events that affected the world. It uncovers what it is like to live in London, both through the ages and today, and reveals: which is London's oldest pub; the legend of the Tower of London; the origins of London's famous Notting Hill Carnival; the average life expectancy of a Londoner; and, what qualifies a person as a Cockney.