READ THIS: London Then and Now By Diane Burstein
London arguably is the only city remotely close to New York, and vice versa, in our opinion. If we were on the other side of the pond we would have just said that in the reverse. Peachy Deegan is part English and like many Americans has been back to England and feels a connection to the UK. We just reviewed New York Then and Now so logically we had to do this one too, and we love this one just as much but perhaps more because we can't walk out our door and see it!
Like the New York book, this book's highlight is the "then" and "now" pictures which are truly priceless. Of course New York is named for the Duke of York and going through reading the captions, you'll see all of the other apparent connections like where William Penn (founder of Pennsylvania) was married. From the original city to today, the contrast is significant but the reader is only kept wondering what the "then" photos would have been like had the great fire not happened. The monument is front and center on the opening few pages...
Perhaps London is getting a bit more like New York vertically speaking, as we see on page 39 some upwardly ambitious building going on. Many buildings have been restored as time has gone by, and however unvertical London is, we cannot help but envy their architecture. Though New York definitely has its strong points, overall we have to say London wins hands down for overall aesthetics in buildings. Also we love how the Thames runs through London; the East River and the Hudson River are not the same simply because there is not enough attraction built up on either of them, particularly on the opposing non-Manhattan sides.
As it has cooled down here it is doing the same in London and we couldn't help but wish we were skating in front of Somerset House when we saw those pictures...
Whom You Know highly recommends London Then and Now! It makes an excellent gift and we suggest that you buy it in tandem with New York Then and Now.
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Celebrating the most beloved cities from around the world, this series offers a unique combination of historic interest and contemporary beauty. Thunder Bay's Then and Now books feature fascinating archival photographs counterposed with specially commissioned, full-color images of the same scene today. A visual lesson in the historic changes of our greatest urban landscapes.