London Fog - Christine L. Corton

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
A Telegraph Editor's Choice
An Evening Standard "Best Books about London" Selection

In
popular imagination, London is a city of fog. The classic London fogs,
the thick yellow "pea-soupers," were born in the industrial age of the
early nineteenth century. Christine L. Corton tells the story of these
epic London fogs, their dangers and beauty, and their lasting effects on
our culture and imagination.

"Engrossing and magnificently
researched.Corton's book combines meticulous social history with a
wealth of eccentric detail. Thus we learn that London's ubiquitous plane
trees were chosen for their shiny, fog-resistant foliage. And since
Jack the Ripper actually went out to stalk his victims on fog-free
nights, filmmakers had to fake the sort of dank, smoke-wreathed London
scenes audiences craved. It's discoveries like these that make reading London Fog such an unusual, enthralling and enlightening experience."
-Miranda Seymour, New York Times Book Review

"Corton,
clad in an overcoat, with a linklighter before her, takes us into the
gloomier, long 19th century, where she revels in its Gothic grasp.
Beautifully illustrated, London Fog delves fascinatingly into that swirling miasma."
-Philip Hoare, New Statesman