London in the Snow is not only about the humans. There are elephants with shovels, camels looking a bit chilly, and pigeons making the best of it.
This charming small hardback photo book has a good range of black and white images from the 1900s to the 1960s, and they are not just the usual subjects (for a sample of the images, see here). There are parks and zoos, synagogues and cathedrals, streets and schools, canals and the river. I like that there are diverse images from a diverse city. My favourite photo is a young Sikh man in 1900 tobogganing with the intensity of a champion. This is a well edited and entertaining selection.
Snow is unusual enough in London that Londoners still react in a variety of ways when it falls. We might run wild in the park or steer clear of a deserted Oxford Street. We might valiantly keep working in freezing conditions, or skate across a frozen pond to usher swans towards open water like a woman in this book (perhaps).
We love the Opinionated Guide series from this independent press (see here). This latest book in the Vintage Britain series is as beautifully made as its predecessors, and would make a cheerful gift.
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