Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
By James Gulliver Hancock, Hardie Grant, $37.99.
Here’s your chance to indulge in some armchair travel, of a different kind – through structures. This is a well-illustrated book, created intentionally by Hancock, an artist and illustrator.
In All the Buildings in London, he shows unique and charming drawings of the city’s diverse architectural styles and streetscapes. They can also be described as “playful”. It was a natural follow-up to his first book All the Buildings in New York.
Hancock’s offbeat drawing style gives a sense of whimsical and delightful fun, while effectively capturing each building’s design details.
According to Hancock: “London is special for me, because I am half-English”. He remembers the journey of the London book as a different experience, and that “it was more of a romantic vision than of a coming to terms with day-to-day living kind-of thing, like when (he) was in New York”.
“It was great, I had always visited London when I was a kid and I had seen all these places that I wanted to spend more time with and sit down and concentrate on.”
The book includes such iconic buildings as Big Ben, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, the Shard, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, as well as, the bridges and docks along the river Thames. Also featured are the everyday buildings that may not be famous, but whose stylishness or eccentricity make up an important part of London and its architectural landscape.
This one-of-a-kind volume takes us on a tour of some long-standing and modern landmarks. London is a beautiful, stylish city with history and stories to tell – through one building at a time.
