A book that I recently acquired for the purposes of giving it away.

My grandmother was born in Gravesend, Kent, and immigrated to the US at about 7 years old. She never got to return to England, but was always nostalgic for it. A few years back, I had the opportunity to visit Gravesend on a trip to the UK and I felt that I understood her a little better for having done so. Sadly, the segment about Gravesend in this book is only 1 page long and comes at the very end. It talks about the gravesite of Pocahontas, which I visited while there.

This book interested me because of my connection to the Thames river as well as its place in the popular images of England. I did enjoy it, but found myself wishing for a lot more photos to accompany the discussions of locations along the way. I realize that the book is part of a series on the landscape of imagination, but I wished I didn't have to try to imagine the buildings described quite frequently as I read. My othef frustration was with the copy editing. There were frequent sentences where the inclusion or omission of a preposition would have saved me rereading to make sense. At different times, I wondered if this was just because of the differences in usage between British and American English, but I read enough British books that I don't see how that could be.

All in all, an informative read, although I think it would be more enjoyable for someone who is much more familiar with the area and doesn't get as frustrated by lack of illustrations or photos.

This book is now in the Biographies of Things book box and on its way to Florida.

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Made a short stop at my house for Biographies of Things book box. It will stay in the box.

I'm claiming this from the Biographies of Things bookbox. I'm an ardent Anglophile, and this looks just the thing - not least because I'm currently enjoying a novel in which the rivers of London have anthropomorphic personifications who join in the politics and social life of the city... (See also the graphic novels, including Rivers of London: Body Work.)

Later: Very informative and often enjoyable, especially when the book touched on places I've visited (and/or read about). From the earliest history to the ecological concerns to the impressive Thames Barrier, there's a lot to learn about the river!

I plan to leave this book on a bench near Red's Eats this afternoon, while stopping by for their incomparable lobster rolls. Hope someone enjoys the book!

[See other recent releases in ME here.]

*** Released for the 2018 Keep Them Moving release challenge. ***