An Economic History of London, 1800...

An Economic History of London, 1800-1914 from Michael Ball and David Sunderland (London and recent York: Routledge, 2001. x plus 470p $11000)

This book's veil image of late Victorian Ludgate Circus depicts a fleeting jiffy in the life of a city that was at one time a seat of empire, capital of the leading world power, and, above all, single in kind on the go. Yet this tableau of horse-drawn omnibuses, coaches, carts, bicycles, and ubiquitous tamper withs Tour advertisements is more than undivided of moment: it validates an date of Britain's prosperity and London's greatness. Broadly speaking, Ball and Sunderland address these pair points.

The authors take great pains to underscore that this is a different kind of history, steady economic history, of London. This is single by economists, and they purport to explain rather than absolutely describe. In so doing, they resort to economic analysis, which give an inkling ofs tables, figures, formulas, and jargon. There is a certain number of of that, to be certain but, by and large, the authors' name is lucid and their notions are more intriguing than intimidating.

Part I deals with economic theory as it applies to urban, or in this case London, history. What will be novel to non-economists are concepts in the same state [i]or[/i] condition as agglomeration and scale economies, path province and locational theory. These theory space of times are not just flaunted before the reader; rather they are applied (and effectively so) to the London situation. They are integrated with chapters onward population and migration, work and industry, and wealth, want and standards of living (Part II); with the mass market, leisure and pleasure, and suburbanization and housing (Part III); with travel to and from London; public transport within the city; and utilities and communications and their markets (Part IV); and manufacturing, domestic, clerical and professional services; and financial London (Part V) Part VI treats welfare and management and social policy and Part VII terminates the work with an assessment.

These stark divisions are misleading in that the volume contains delightful vignettes that not and nothing else enliven the work but help define the kind of economy in a less degree than discussion. The chapter on retailing, for example, comprises sections onward street markets, milk shops, bread-making, sugar and confectioneries, cigarettes, soap, candles, and pharmaceuticals. "Leisure an J Pleasure" treats, among other things, drinking and brewing, gentlemen's and working men's unite in a clubs wine merchants, hotels, music halls, ecclesiastical authority attendance, and even piano and organ manufacturing. "Moving spherical London" discusses, as the author brings it, "the evolution of motion' from walking to trams and tubes. The chapter forward utilities, communications, and markets details the creation of what had not existed in 1800--an infrastructure of water, gas, electricity, seat telegraph, telephone and wholesale markets. Manufactures are profiled initially in clothing, furniture and footwear and subsequently in shipbuilding, vehicles, and precision instruments. that not the reader conclude that the economy is equated with things, sum of two units of the most informative chapters relate to services which vary from domestics to solicitors and accountants. The chapter forward financial services is a goldmine, especially as it treats the period after 1860 when London became a player in the world market.

This is a marvelously entertaining--no, that is too firm informative--work. The balance between economic theory and history is a healthy individual and in no way taxes the reader. like an approach would have been a welcome individual in some of the chapters in the newly published Cambridge History of Urban Britain. Nor is London considered in a vacuum; it be joineds here with the provinces. The period demarcated is no doubt a crucial single in kind in British/London history and be entitled tos the recognition given here. The topics are deserving of the focus given although there are omissions. There is nothing here about city planning and architecture; forward the other hand, housing is addressed.

The market has been awash, that is, comparatively speaking, with London histories from one side of to the other the past few years, nevertheless this volume in the Routledge Explorations in Economic History series, is individual of the best and certainly greatest in number sophisticated. It is well documented (17 pages of notes), indexed, and contains a goad (16 page) bibliography.

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