Penguin Books Ltd

What makes a house truly beautiful? Why are many new houses so ugly? Why do we argue so bitterly about sofas and pictures - and can differences of taste ever be satisfactorily resolved? This book explores one of our most intense but often hidden love affairs: with our houses and their furnishings.

Looking at every aspect of the city, from its waterways, streets and architecture to its food, politics and people, the author captures its magnificence and beauty, and recalls his own memories of the place he called home for many winters, as he remembers friends, lovers and enemies he has encountered.

Charles Dickens describes his time as an insomniac, when he decided to cure himself by walking through London in the small hours, and discovered homelessness, drunkenness, and vice on the streets. This collection of essays shows him as one of the greatest visionaries of the city in all its variety and cruelty.