The Book
“I have found my London book of the year…”
Boyd Tonkin, Independent, 23/03/2012
“An elegantly presented, generous and good-natured book, it offers an antidote to the sense of disconnection a big city such as London can engender. A city is its people and here they are celebrated in a way that will resonate beyond the East End.”
Carl Wilkinson, Financial Times, 24/02/2012
“…these wonderful stories shine anew in an attractive, beautifully illustrated book format. We can’t recommend it highly enough.”
Matt Brown, Londonist, 28/02/2012
“a towering achievement . . . Spitalfields Life is undoubtedly a significant work of social history”
Patrick Barkham, Guardian, 20/03/2012
“A thing of sheer wonder, and I don’t know where to start with all the things I love about it. The elegant, empathetic writing? The gorgeous design? The special illustrations from Rob Ryan, Lucinda Rogers and Mark Hearld? The fact that all the quotes on the back are taken from (and attributed to) Twitter? All of the above, and more. . . By celebrating the extraordinary things that make this area special it must be hoped The Gentle Author will help protect them. And the sumptuous prose is accompanied by some stunning visuals. . . All in all it’s a joy to hold, a joy to read and a joy to look at.”
Rob Alderson, It’s Nice That, 2/03/2012
Click here to buy your copy direct from Spitalfields Life and have it signed or personally inscribed by the Gentle Author.
9 Responses
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Dear Gentle Author,
I love your work and I love the characters you write about – thank you.
Please let me know how I can buy your book – I am in Australia.
Kay
Dear Gentle Author,
I have followed your bog since you began in 2009. Spitalfields is my favourite part of london.
I look forward to the publication of your book, and will certainly be present with my husband at the event in Christ Church on 2nd March.
Regards,
Jeanette.
The Gentle Author is the greatest in letting you know what really is going on in Spitalfelds X
Please can you tell me how to buy the book
Regards
Kevin
I have been dipping in and out of your book since its arrival at my house yesterday evening, courtesy of that modern purveyor of all things bookish. I did wonder if your blog, written on a 21st century medium, would transfer to that most ancient of hand-held devices – the printed book. And it has! Your book is an absolute joy – and dare I say it – even better than the blog. A book is a tactile object and should appeal to all the senses – and your book certainly delivers. It smells good, looks good, feels good, sounds good, and, if it was edible, I’m sure it’d taste good too.
Although I thought I’d rummaged through your blog for, what I considered to be, the best posts, your book has shown me that I’d missed out on so many other snippets. Previously missed articles and now new favourites (so far!), are ‘A room to let in Old Aldgate’ and ‘On Christmas night in the City’. My old favourites are there too such as ‘Jim Howlett, Designer’ and ‘Mark Jackson and Huw Davies: Photographers’. Your book is a modern-day equivalent of an ‘Enquire within upon everything’.
I absolutely love the ‘bell’ caricatures – they are such deliciously succinct truisms and prompts that are good for the soul. Favourites so far: ‘This bell will ring when we are all alone’, ‘This bell will ring when a door opens’, and the one that made me laugh-out-loud ‘This bell will ring when the last train leaves Liverpool Street’. You should market these as Spitalfields Life merchandise – I’d certainly buy a them. Delightful!
Enjoy your evening on Friday.
http://www.essexvoicespast.com
PS Will you one day blog about that most transient of Londoner – the daily commuter into the City? We are not all rich fat-cats and many of us not that fleeting. I, for one, have seen London through the lens of a train carriage for nearly 30 years and where once the City and Spitalfields were my ancestors’ physical homes, London is now my spiritual home.
Dear Gentle Author,
It was great to see so many people attending your book launch. The queue was very long and I took some photos on my iPhone so I could show my friends how successful the event was as I met someone who travelled from as far as the USA! I had a delightful evening and met lots of new residents from Spitalfields. There is no doubt that Spitalfields Life will enlighten many about life in Spitalfields including all those who wake up everyday to find themselves living beside Brick Lane!
Best of luck,
Wais
Dear Gentle Author,
A short note to say that the book has arrived and it is glorious. I love its size and its colour palette, but most of all I appreciate your words and the accompanying images. It brings London a little closer every time I open it.
Many thanks for this book, and the wonderful blog from which it comes.
My copy has arrived. And it is so lovely! I love Spitalfields Life — the daily postings give me food for thought, moments of quiet joy, excitement, knowledge, insight, sometimes great sadness. And now I have some of these wonderful stories (such a weak term, really), in this beautifully produced and bound treasure of a book. Thank you, Gentle Author!!!!
You have given us back to ourselves, with renewed value. Helped us to see the incredible beauty and specialness of this neighbourhood and its people.
What a gift!
Thank you