Hardback, Hoxton Mini Press, £16.95, out now
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 (https://www.hoxtonminipress.com/products/london-in-the-snow-book-10-vintage-britain). 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 https://riversidebookshop.co.uk/2021/07/12/london-green-spaces-by-harry-ades/). This latest book in the Vintage Britain series is as beautifully made as its predecessors, and would make a cheerful gift.
Review by Bethan
The Riverside Way 