London's West End
Creating the Pleasure District, 1800-1914
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:24th Sep '20
Should be back in stock very soon
How did the West End of London become the world's leading pleasure district? What is the source of its magnetic appeal? How did the centre of London become Theatreland? London's West End, 1800-1914 is the first ever history of the area which has enthralled millions. The reader will discover the growth of theatres, opera houses, galleries, restaurants, department stores, casinos, exhibition centres, night clubs, street life, and the sex industry. The area from the Strand to Oxford Street came to stand for sensation and vulgarity but also the promotion of high culture. The West End produced shows and fashions whose impact rippled outwards around the globe. During the nineteenth century, an area that serviced the needs of the aristocracy was opened up to a wider public whilst retaining the imprint of luxury and prestige. Rohan McWilliam tells the story of the great artists, actors and entrepreneurs who made the West End: figures such as Gilbert and Sullivan, the playwright Dion Boucicault, the music hall artiste Jenny Hill, and the American Harry Gordon Selfridge who wanted to create the best shop in the world. At the same time, McWilliam explores the distinctive spaces created in the West End, from the glamour of Drury Lane and Covent Garden, through to low life bars and taverns. We encounter the origins of the modern star system and celebrity culture. London's West End, 1800-1914 moves from the creation of Regent Street to the glory days of the Edwardian period when the West End was the heart of empire and the entertainment industry. Much of modern culture and consumer society was shaped by a relatively small area in the middle of London. This pioneering study establishes why that was.
In this first comprehensive scholarly account, McWilliam combines the roles of historical reporter, cultural analyst and ardent fan. Concerned with understanding the West End and its pleasures in terms of experience, he deconstructs the specific appeal to the senses, identifying 'an explosion in visuality' as the strongest stimulant. * Peter Bailey, The Journal of the Social History Society *
McWilliam's book should, therefore, serve as a good place of departure for both undergraduates and researchers interested in not only the West End, but how entertainment districts function as a whole. * Benjamin Giordano, University of Southampton, Urban History *
London's West End is a landmark work - both a magisterial history of one of the most significant urban spaces in modern cultural history and a groundbreaking contribution to the study of nineteenth century theatre, performance, and culture. * Matthew Buckley, Rutgers University, Modern Drama *
evocative and engaging * Peter Bailey, Cultural and Social History *
Readers of this impressive homage to Londons West End can look forward to pleasures nearly equalling those enjoyed by a visit to the district itself. With infectious enthusiasm and panache, Rohan McWilliam successfully evokes the sights, sounds, tastes and feel of the metropolitan heart of Britains culture and leisure capital. * Nancy W. Ellenberger, English Historical Review *
This is a lovely book, which I thoroughly enjoyed, particularly, as I hope I've suggested, the well-chosen examples illustrating the 'culture industries', which were created by forces which shaped the West End (p. 8). Written in an easy style, carefully organised and easy to navigate, generous in its descriptions, with just enough detail to pique the reader's interest, and, importantly, bibliographic details to enable a follow-up, it will be a book I will return to more than once. * Ann Featherstone, British Association for Victorian Studies Newsletter *
McWilliam is the first to take on such a history of the West End... A second volume is planned for the West End in the twentieth century's tumultuous years of war and reconstruction. If McWilliam succeeds as well as he does here then the two volumes will be a triumph... McWilliam explores this rich terrain with passion and panache. He has a sharp eye for telling details and has scoured the secondary literature as well as local and national archives to glean them. * Jerry White, Times Literary Supplement *
Elegantly written, inventively researched, it is the most comprehensive account to date of the West End in its heyday, a dazzling world of interconnected attractions. * Judith R. Walkowitz, The London Journal *
[McWilliam] covers a great deal of ground at a lively pace and his extensive bibliography points down many byways to be pursued for further information. * Rosemary Hill, London Review of Books *
[London's West End] filled out my knowledge, adding colour and precision to it and, like the best theatre, it has made me see things differently. I can pay it no greater compliment than to say that when I reached the last page I felt like clapping. * Sandra Giorgetti, British Theatre Guide *
Londons West End will be of particular interest to theatregoers, shoppers, diners and tourists, who go to the West End and want to know more about its history. McWilliam writes with a light touch and his research is full of interesting detail. * Robert Tanitch, Mature Times *
This scholarly tome... is thorough in its investigation of the area's social and cultural history, but the author achieves this with a light touch that makes it both very readable and fascinating. * Clive Jennings, Soho Clarion *
This is a lovely book, which I thoroughly enjoyed... Written in an easy style, carefully organised and easy to navigate, generous in its descriptions, with just enough detail to pique the reader's interest, and, importantly, bibliographic details to enable a follow-up, it will be a book I will return to more than once. * Ann Featherstone, British Association For Victorian Studies Newsletter *
Impressive history * Ann Basu, Fitzrovia News *
McWilliam does an admirable job of never allowing the reader to forget these backstage realities while narrating the rise of the West End's public pleasures. * Christopher Ferguson, Victorian Studies Vol 65.1 *
ISBN: 9780198823414
Dimensions: 243mm x 163mm x 28mm
Weight: 770g
376 pages