London: the Unique City I

In 1937 Steen Eiler Rasmussen set the city of London down in these pages with unrivaled clarity, accuracy, and sympathy. Originally written to show the Europeans how much they could learn from the form of civilization in which London had taken the lead, 'London: The Unique City' survives today as a work of remarkable perception and charm. What makes London different? Why did the city develop persistently in its own way, despite interruptions and intrusions from abroad? Why is London the 'scattered city,' as opposed to the 'concentrated city' of the continent? Rasmusssen finds his answers in the historical character and location of the English house and in the Englishman's fierce insistence on his own way of living. To make Rasmussen's central point, 'London has developed organically, like the body of English law, out of the life of the people.'Rasmussen traces London's growth from its original walls to the modern bustle of the Upper Regent Street complex, crooked 'like the knee of a jointed doll." His account is penetrating and detailed, a unique combination of ancient lore and modern observation.