Royal London in Context: The Independent Traveler's Guide to Royal London

Should you be planning to visit London with a specific interest in accumulating an unbelievably detailed history of London, English and the British Empire, this book with its accompanying CDs is for you. It is also a must for teachers and students dedicated to learning about the historical events and personalities that molded what is today's London, the center of once Britain's Empire. The book and its two CDs become a virtual tutor of history that brings to life the people and places of England. For the tourist, when in the presence of London's famous places, buildings, churches and statues, the author cloaks each in a history lesson by itself. Similar to the recordings and headsets that one uses when touring an art museum, if and when visiting London's sites, one will require a portable CD player. Of course, a tandem headset is essential when traveling with another person. If one is not actually visiting London, the book by itself or the playing of the CDs at home or in one's car, will provide a wealth of knowledge and information about London, the city that Dr. Johnson once commented, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life." Unfortunately, the artisans commissioned to build, sculpture, paint or create London's monuments to persons or events over the centuries also were inadvertently inconsiderate by not placing this extensive and priceless collection of artifacts in chronological order. For example, when visiting the area of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and The Houses of Parliament, one has to accept a mosaic of chronological confusion that spans more than a two thousand year period from the Romans to Elizabeth II. Mr. Wayne has done a brilliant job of research in that his book and CDs provide a cornucopia of historical facts on everything and everyone from pre-Boadicea to post-Winston Churchill. Even when visiting the more famous tourist attractions such as Piccadilly Circus for example, Mr. Wayne will explain that the most photographed statue in London, the statue of the Greek god of carnal love, Eros, in the center of the fountain in Piccadilly Circus, was actually intended to be the statue of the Angel of Christian Mercy to honor the Seventh Earl of Shaftsbury. (Although I personally lived in London for almost eleven years and studied British history, this anecdotal fact somehow escaped me until now, thanks to Mr. Wayne.) The reader, or listener, will also become familiar with the works of Christopher Wren after the great fire of 1666, his architecture of St. Paul's Cathedral and another fifty-two churches he designed in Greater London. This book and accompanying CDs are virtually a college course in the history of almost everything one can see while touring London. It is NOT simply a tourist's guide to London or a collection of interesting observations but a highly researched and magnificently delivered history to an inquiring mind. For those with an insatiable thirst for learning about British history, Mr. Wayne'

Royal London In Context is a unique book/CD set. Robert S. Wayne, also the author of Venice in Context, knows all the secrets and introduces you to historically significant locations, complete with historical facts. Joel Godard is the perfect guide and he narrates the entire journey. He "literally" guides you through London in a step-by-step fashion. I just listened to this for the first time and I feel like I've been in London exploring Westminster Abbey and peering through the gates of Buckingham Palace. I started to feel homesick for comforting foods like fish and chips with vinegar and meat pies. When I was there as a teenager, London was fascinating, but no one was there to tell me what I was viewing. Tour One: Westminster Bridge, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and Winston Churchill's statue - interesting information about why pigeons don't like landing on his statue. Tour Two: Westminster Hall, Oliver Cromwell, Richard I, Old Palace yard, Victoria Tower and Gardens, Emmeline Pankhurst Tour Three: George V, Henry VIII Chapel, Chapter House, Jewel Tower Tour Four: St. Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey Tour Five: Westminster Abbey, Broad Sanctuary Tour Six: Cabinet War Rooms, Robert Clive, Cenotaph, 10 Downing Street Tour Seven: Horse Guards Parade, Banqueting House, Great Scotland Yard, Old Admiralty Tour Eight: Charles I, Trafalgar Square, Nelson's Column, George IV, Church of St. Martin-in-the-fields Tour Nine: Piccadilly Circus, Eros, Church of St. James's, Jermyn Street, Fortnum & Mason, Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington Arcade Tour Ten: Ste. James's Street, St. James's Palace, Pall Mall, Queen's Chapel, Queen Alexandra Memorial, Friary Court Tour Eleven: St. James's Park Tour Twelve: Buckingham Palace, Queen Victoria Monument On the inside front cover there is a map of the tour area. In the back cover, there is a clear envelope for the CDs. So, you could take this book with you and carry it around while you are on the tour. The pictures help you locate various historic monuments and buildings. The tours only take up a third of the book. The rest of the book is dedicated to history, royal palaces and fortresses and getting around London (on foot or with public transportation like the Tube). If you want to take a sightseeing bus, that is always an option. There are ideas about taking a river cruise or information on why you should stop in and see St. Margaret's Church and not just head straight to the Westminster Abbey. While this is a book for the Independent Traveler, I don't see why you couldn't buy two or more and take a walking tour with friends and family. You can then listen to this CD later to recreate your entire London tour. After listening to both CDs, I wish I was going to London with my mom in September. She is going to love this book and she will have an entire month to explore! Even if you don't plan to leave for London right away, this Book/CD set is perfect for when you are sitting out in the sun

Full color photographs on almost every page add an enhancing touch of visual splendor to Royal London In Context: The Independent Traveler's Guide To Royal London, a detailed introduction to the pageantry, pomp, and circumstance of British royalty. Featuring an audio CD with 12 audio tours delightful for vacationers and armchair travelers alike, interesting anecdotes of the British royal family, and all one needs to freely explore London at the freedom of one's heart's desire, Royal London In Context is a very highly recommended travel guide. If you are planning a visit to London, then begin planning your itinerary with a careful browse through the pages of Robert Wayne's Royal London In Context.

A number of years ago my parents went to London. What did they want to see? They wanted to see the Queen, the Queen Mother and every place where the royals hang out. Although I have been to London many times, I wasn't much help to them. I don't share their interest in the royal family. And because they don't like tours, they had to sort it out for themselves. As a result, they didn't see much more concerning royal England than the crown jewels and the events outside Buckingham Palace. I've felt guilty ever since for not being more help.Now, if they had wanted to go at a time when Royal London in Context was available, they would have had a marvelous time!This book has many fine qualities to recommend it compared to other guides of London. First, the tour information is much more extensive, both in terms of how many tours and how much information is shared about each one. Second, you have an audio CD that you can play as you tour (this is like having a self-paced tour in a museum by using a portable acoustical guide). Third, you have excellent material on the history of the Royal Family which will add helpful information that most people don't know . . . unless they were English history majors in college. Fourth, the book provides much more detail about traveling around than any other travel guide I have seen for the London area. And fifth, buy my no means least, the book is slanted to the royalty. I have seen no other travel guide that makes any attempt in this direction. How good is this guide? Well, even if you think you're not interested in the Royal Family, it's still a helpful guide that I would recommend to anyone for a first visit to London who's interested in British culture and history. The tours are ones that most visitors to London would love. The many details about what you are seeing in the book and the audio CD can greatly enrich your experience in London. In addition, there are many color photographs in the book so you can see what you will be visiting . . . which will help you choose what you want to focus on.If you are planning to travel with someone and want to use this guide, I suggest that you take a portable CD player that will let you plug in two headphones. In that way, you can both listen at the same time as you walk about. Have a jolly good time! Say hello to Prince Andrew if you happen to bump into him!!

What a great idea -- an audio tour of London! The book is engagingly written and beautifully illustrated, and it's full of very practical information (when you exit the Tube station, turn left. . .). If you enjoy audio tours of museums, you'll enjoy this book and CD. They'll turn Royal London into a museum that you can peruse at your leisure.