City Secrets: London Edited by Robert Kahn
Review by: Suzy

As Dr. Johnson observed, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life itself." This little red book, conveniently sized to fit in a shirt or jacket pocket, is full of hundreds of reasons why Johnson is still right, hundreds of years later.

I have been visiting London since I was a child, and I think of it as a second home. But in spite of having been there dozens of times, it never ceases to surprise and delight me.

You never really know a city unless you live in it, and Robert Kahn has collected pieces from London residents of all kinds, from museum curators to actors to architects and playwrights. Each person has a unique knowledge of his or her own neighborhood, places that are special to him or her. Some are off the beaten path, some are twists on well-known places.

For example, I have visited Kenwood House more than once, a beautiful house in Hampstead with a fine collection of paintings (including one of the few privately owned Vermeers in the world), but before I read this book, I didn't know you could have breakfast in Kenwood's coach house. Nor did I know about many of the secret gardens and museums which can only be visited by appointment.

So whether you're planning a visit for the first time, or the tenth time, or just want to dream about visiting this most fascinating of cities, it's all here.

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