Great Pubs of London

Book excerpt: A pocket-sized edition of the best-selling Great Pubs of London, this book celebrates London's most significant and historic pubs. For centuries, the pub has been an essential part of London's cultural and social fabric. This book takes readers through the doors of 25 historically and architecturally significant London pubs. Through photographs specially commissioned for this project, readers can explore these institutions--from snob screens to 400-hundred-year-old flagstone floors. Engaging texts highlight what makes each pub so special, their place in London's history, the personalities who have frequented them, the events that occurred inside, and the ways pubs have contributed phrases such as "on the wagon" and "one for the road" to the modern lexicon. This book reveals why the Lamb and Flag in Covent Garden earned the nickname the "Bucket of Blood," and features a pub that Charles Dickens described as a "great rambling queer old place". Furthermore, the book muses over the chances that Casanova paid a visit to The Dog and Duck in Soho, and uncovers the location of Charles De Gaulle's favorite wartime watering hole. This fascinating book is a must-have for anyone with a love for these London institutions and its new, easy-to-carry format makes it perfect for taking on a historic pub crawl.