This volume is a compact and authoritative historical survey of the way English urban environments have developed since the Roman period, viewed chronologically and thematically, focusing particularly on the last two centuries. The text covers types of urban development (e.g., industrial towns, commercial cities, slums, and suburbs), plus important topics such as transport, recreation, civil and ecclesiastical functions, and images of the town and city in literature, art, and film. The chapters are supplemented by cameos that focus in detail on specific towns and subjects.

Charles Dickens died in 1870, the same year in which universal elementary education was introduced. During the following generation a mass reading public emerged, and the term "best-seller" was coined. In new and cheap editions Dickens's stories sold hugely, but these were progressively outstripped in quantity by the likes of Hall Caine and Marie Corelli, Charles Garvice and Nat Gould. Who has now heard of these writers? Yet Hall Caine, for one, boasted of having made more money from his pen than any previous author.

This book presents a panoramic view of literary life in Britain over...