Events such as the fire of London and the Plague, and locations like the Globe, are part of our ‘national heritage’ however until recently the history of London between 1500 and 1750 has been little studied. As a city London underwent exceptional changes - its population soared from around 50,000 in 1500 to approximately 200,000 in 1600 and by 1700 it was nearly half a million. Covering the themes of polis and the police, gender and sexuality, space and place, and material culture and consumption the book encounters thieves, prostitutes, litigious wives, the poor, disease, ‘great quantities of gooseberry pye’ and the very taxing question of fresh water. Focuses on the experiences and perceptions of Londoners, rather than giving an account of a depersonalized and disembodied thing called “London”. Will be essential reading for anyone interested in the history of London or in the social and cultural history of early modern society.
