RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET, 1871... [All Rights Reserved.] THI PREFACE. HIS work is an amalgamation of two separate publications, the one entitled "Literary and Historical Memorials of London," published in 1847, and the other entitled "London and its Celebrities," published in 1850, the latter being in fact a sequel to the former. The first-named publication contained no preface: to the second the following introductory remarks were appended: "It appears to the Author that some apology is required for the publication of these volumes. When he first contemplated writing a work on 'London,' it occurred to him that to persons whose avocations, whether of business or pleasure, led them to traverse the thoroughfares of the Great Metropolis, a work might not be unacceptable, which should point out such sites and edifices as have been rendered classical either by the romantic or literary associations of past times. It was a subject which had always afforded pleasure to the Author, and he was sanguine enough to hope that he might be enabled to impart some pleasure to others. "Other literary occupations, however, interfered to engage the leisure hours of the Author, and in the mean time, after he had collected many of his materials, Mr. Knight commenced and completed the periodical publication of his interesting work on 'London.' Had the plan of Mr. Knight's work corresponded with that of the Author, he would unquestionably have relinquished his task. But as such was not the case; and, moreover, as he was thus supplied with many valuable additional factswhich the Author gladly takes this opportunity of acknowledging—it had the contrary effect of encouraging him to resume his original project. "But the Author subsequently found that he had other difficulties to contend against. This Second Series of his work was already in the hands of his publisher, when there appeared successively the 'Town,' by Mr. Leigh Hunt, and Mr. Peter Cunningham's Handbook,' - the latter the most valuable work on 'London' which has appeared since the time of Stow. It is therefore with considerable and unaffected diffidence that the Author |