Customer Rating: 
Summary: The best architectural guide to the City of London
Comment: Buildings in practically every street in the City are covered, in many cases many of the buildings in a given street are described, with interesting features pointed out.The book covers all architectural periods.If you look at every building described in this book it would take you weeks of long days walking around the city.But if you are interested in architecture it would be worth it (I know, I have done it).Or just read the book, as the book has much history as the City is made up of buildings built over the centuries. 704 pages of excellence.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Bible of British Architecture
Comment: This book is one of a series presented by Nikolaus Pevsner and updated by Bridget Cherry on the Buildings of England.I own three in the series, all concentrating on Greater London architecture. The books are truly comprehensive in their treatment of the streets they cover. 95% of all streets in the areas I was familiar with are treated in the book. Where noted, architect and year of construction are given.
The books are particularly useful as a reference guide to look up particular streets and buildings. However, the books always give an overall reference to the particular architectual trends of the period and how these manifested themselves in the buildings of the time. Note, individual streets are rarely derided for their architecture. However, the authors do venture into architectual criticism ocassionally. (As when they lament the monotony of the white stucco Italianate facades in mid-Victorian South Kensington)
In addition, the books treat each area separately, breaking up larger areas like Kensington & Chelsea according to their natural street and neighborhood boundaries. This allows a separate discourse on each individual area and the events and developers which shaped them.
The books give special treatment to major works including churches and public buildings. However, they are comprehensive in detail covering all residential housing on a given street.
Since buying these books, I have moved to New York City. Readers interested in a similar series on New York can look to the Monacelli Press Series by Robert Stern: "New York 1880," "New York 1900," "New York 1930," and "New York 1960." This series, however, concentrates on specific periods and details existing buildings as well as buildings since removed.
