Above London

This may be suitable only for total London geeks like myself, who pore over maps and photos of the best city in the world. It is very satisfying to identify places one has visited, as seen from the air. It goes a little farther afield than I have personally wandered, of course, and reveals warts and all, but for the price this is a very nice addition to any London book collection.

'Above London' by aerial photographer, Robert Cameron and perennial Brit commentator, Alistair Cooke is one of four Cameron photo books of cities I have seen, and I have been to each of these four cities, and I firmly believe that between London, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angles, this is by far the most delightful. Most of this is probably due to the fact that London is so much more photogenic than those Yank cities, but it is probably also due to the addition of Cooke's commentary. The star, by far, of this series is Cameron's superb skill with not only the camera, but in the selection of subject and angle of his shots. The clarity of detail is so great that you can literally count the panes of glass in the windows of the Greenwich Observatory from a distance of at least 1000 feet or more. The aerial point of view of course also adds much to the quality of the book. For example, the infamous memorial to Prince Albert, across from the Royal Albert Hall seems hokey from the ground, but is a marvel of geometric design seen from the air. There are also some things which simply cannot be fully appreciated except by air, such as an overview of the Belgravia district around Belgrave Square. One who has seen London first hand may get more from this book than those who have not been there, but at least it will be an incentive to go see the city for yourself.

Robert Cameron and Alistair Cooke teamed up to produce a wonderful visual account of London in the late 20th century, a stunning piece that will serve as a guide for generations of what London was like during this period. I know archaeologists who would sell their souls for such a record of previous historical periods. But, the historic value of such a record is probably not the reason to have it.Cameron had produced similar books over San Francisco, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Washington D.C., and Yosemite (perhaps more by now). Alistair Cooke (yes, the Masterpiece Theatre host) convinced him to'...collaborate on a more challenging project: a new view of a capital city that has neither picturesque mountains nor the dependable climate of Cameron's previous subjects, but one that offers as much variety and as many visible relics of centuries of history as any city on earth.'The first plates show maps from the Middle Ages, and the same aerial view today, side by side: one can see some of the same streets and patterns, a bridge in the same location, but also (naturally) great differences. The pattern of Chelsea remains as a framework from the days of the Duke of Beaufort in some ways (including Cheyne Walk), and very different in others. A French drawing of St. James' Park looks very familiar, with the difference being the absence of Admiralty Arch which helped transform the Mall into one of the great processional routes. Included is a drawing from the Victorian era that shows the then-new Palace of Westminster; four Frechmen proved the ability to use ballooning to scale new heights (alas, only one survived the ascent to 28,000 feet); in 1886 Wyllie and Brewer went up west of Westminster Abbey to make a drawing, including the smog in which London 'luxuriated' -- as a sign of the energy and prosperity of the world's first port and the capital of Empire. Juxtaposing an aerial view of St. Paul's surrounded by bomb damage with the current view, the resilience of London can be seen. London has suffered destruction various times, and always bounced back.After the historical tour, the book takes a tour of London by the river Thames, then branches out into the Central City, the South and West, the North and West, and then follows the river out of the city into Windsor and countryside environments. One fun section include a collection of aerial views of festivals and 'fun' spots: the Oval, Wembley, Lords cricket ground, the Henley Regatta, Ascot, and, of course, Wimbeldon. Each series of photographs is accompanied by Cooke's particularly witty and sometimes elegantly-scathing commentary (one can tell when he thinks that progress was not for the better), such as his commentary on the Wimbledon photographs:'There was a time when the All-England Lawn Tennis Club's Wimbledon courts were surrounded by open meadows and a small enclosure for the nobs who owned automobiles. Today the area of car parks is greater than that of 'the action', and during the fortnight of the ch

Anyone who's ever spent time in London (or any historic and picturesque region) will see the city in a different way with this book of aerial views. Other reviewers have commented on the need for an update (particularly since the Millenium building boom), but essentially, the sweep of London history remains as it was: the Tower of London, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Whitehall, Hyde Park, Hampstead, the Thames, etc. And there's the undeniable thrill of saying "I was there," since virtually every area is covered. This book also adds a dimension to travel that we don't often consider: how buildings and streets really are situated in the places we visit, and our relation to them. After traveling on foot over most of central London, I never realized how much I covered until I bought this book.

This is a treat for those who love London and for those who would like to know the city better. The many aerial color photos are excellent and reproduced large enough to show a lot of detail. I understand the helicopter was granted special permission to fly lower than legal in order to snap some of the shots. And the redoubtable Alistair Cooke provides the highly informative commentary for each picture. I often find myself thumbing through this volume and reliving pleasant experiences in this great city as well as spotting areas still be investigated.