THIS fascinating compendium of life in our capital city is described on the cover as "a vivid portrait of life in a city at a unique moment in its history".

Indeed it is just that. By 1700, London was emerging as the thriving metropolis so many of us know and love/hate. The Bank of England and the Stock Exchange had been founded, the country was beginning to build a worldwide empire and the rich merchant classes were not only amassing vast fortunes but also beginning to exert the political power that continues to this day.

And yet the city was only one step removed from the medieval cesspool that had made the capital such a dangerous place for rich and poor alike, a hotbed of crime and corruption, superstition and early death.

This well-written book looks at all London life, from high commerce and business to crime and punishment, family life, food and drink, amusements, death and disease.

Ms Waller describes a world that is both familiar and yet alien to us, in such a way as to make this book eminently readable and of great appeal to both historian and non-historian alike.

Martin Lacy