London, England

Armed with a pile of tantalizing guidebooks and a Londometer (to identify those perfect "London moments"), in this book journalist Derek Hammond goes in search of the city's "Londonest" scenes. At the same time, he sets the modern city against the fantasy London created by cinema, television, and too much swinging spy fiction. Each chapter takes us to a different section of London, which is defined by its own unique atmosphere and history. Visit Soho discos and East End strippers, trail the Ripper, meet Holmes, go shopping, miss the Changing of the Guard. Most of the trips include a visit to one major tourist destination or pop-cultural hot spot, plus a sampling of events, trivia, memories, characters, and obsessions. It is a wacky guide to England's capital city.