Unseen London - The Library of the Uncommons

No cover — Mark Daly, Peter Dazeley: Unseen London (2014, Quarto Publishing Group UK)

English language

Published Sept. 14, 2014 by Quarto Publishing Group UK.

ISBN:: 978-1-78101-187-4

(1 review)

"Peter Dazeley has gained access to the hidden interiors of some of London's most iconic buildings, from Tower Bridge to Battersea Power Station, from Big Ben to the Old Bailey. His photographs of these buildings - some derelict, but many still working - are astonishing. Here is a collection of fifty extraordinary locations, with a thoughtful text by Mark Daly, which tells the story of how each of these places was created, how they are used, and what they reveal about the currents of power flowing through the city. Unseen London takes you backstage at some of the capital's great theatres, into the changing rooms of some of our greatest temples of sport, into the heart of the Establishment, the boiler rooms of the city's infrastructure and behind the scenes at some of the most opulent buildings in the Square Mile."--Jacket.

3 editions

eishiya reviewed Unseen London by Mark Daly

A variety of inspiration

4 stars

"Unseen London" shows the interiors of fifty-ish locations in London that are seldom seen by the public. Though hefty, this is obviously not a book aiming to provide in-depth information. Instead, it serves as a great source of inspiration that may help you fill out urban settings with interesting places you might not normally think of.

Peter Dazeley's photographs are fantastic and well-presented. This is probably the nicest coffee table book I've seen. Many of the images are printed in spreads, but the book opens flat, so very little is lost to the binding. The photos don't thoroughly document the locations or provide a solid sense of space, but they evoke a strong feeling of place. Every group of images feels unique, not just through the architecture, but also through the traces left by history. The focus is squarely on interiors, but I'd have liked some photos, at least small …

"Unseen London" shows the interiors of fifty-ish locations in London that are seldom seen by the public. Though hefty, this is obviously not a book aiming to provide in-depth information. Instead, it serves as a great source of inspiration that may help you fill out urban settings with interesting places you might not normally think of.

Peter Dazeley's photographs are fantastic and well-presented. This is probably the nicest coffee table book I've seen. Many of the images are printed in spreads, but the book opens flat, so very little is lost to the binding. The photos don't thoroughly document the locations or provide a solid sense of space, but they evoke a strong feeling of place. Every group of images feels unique, not just through the architecture, but also through the traces left by history. The focus is squarely on interiors, but I'd have liked some photos, at least small ones, of the exteriors for context.

Mark Daly's text is brief, but includes a surprising amount of historical information; it can serve as a springboard for further research. My one complaint is that it sometimes describes rooms that aren't illustrated, which is a bit of a bummer.

Though this is a 2017 edition of a 2014 book, it's no mere reprint - a number of photos are from after 2014 and the text mentions the circa 2017 fate of many of the buildings - some hopeful, some sad.