Poems of London

An illustrated anthology of poetry celebrating life in England’s capital.

“Earth hath not anything to show more fair,” said William Wordsworth on London in 1802. Hundreds of years on, the same can still be said of Britain’s largest metropolis. Poems of London is a wonderful anthology of poetry celebrating England’s capital and life as a Londoner.

Verses from our best-loved authors, such as Wordsworth, William Blake, and John Betjeman, among others, are accompanied by beautiful illustrations—often taken from iconic tube posters—of London’s famous sights, green parks, and Londoners in their daily lives.

Epic poems celebrating London’s vast and majestic presence sit alongside Cockney ditties about pie, mash, and jellied eels in this updated collection. Celebrating every aspect of “the Big Smoke”—from the Houses of Parliament and the Blitz spirit to red double-decker buses and infamous rainy English summers—this is the perfect gift for any Londoner or visitor to the city.Jane McMorland Hunter has compiled anthologies for Batsford and the National Trust, including collections on gardening, nature, food, friendship, books, London, England, and World War I. She also writes nature, gardening, cookery, craft, and children’s books, and works at Hatchards Bookshop in Piccadilly. At various times she has also worked as a gardener, potter, and quilter. She lives in London with a gray tabby cat, in a house overflowing with books, surrounded by a small garden overflowing with plants.