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Selections from reviews of the 1st edition of London Theatre
Walks 1998
“It
is beautifully written by two people who love theatre
and love London—an ideal combination.”
-- Esther Perica, International Travel News
“If
all the world’s a stage, then surely London holds
the orchestra seating. Consider this book the usher who
directs you there.” -- Toni Stroud,
Chicago Tribune
“Well
conceived, thoughtfully designed . . . What distinguishes
these walk is that they take one down lanes and alleys,
into courtyards and parks, inside churches and public
buildings, of which the ordinary tourist is unaware.”
-- Norman Anderson, The Christian Science Monitor.
“A
nice combination of scholarly detail and juicy gossip
and a good choice for fans of the theatre.” --
Karen Schwartz, Associated Press
“I
can’t imagine theatre lovers taking a trip to London
without this book in hand.” -- Jerry
Dellinger, Followspot, Illinois Theatre Association
“Juicy
gossip, fascinating history, colorful legends and detailed
maps help to make each walk a pleasure.” --
Savvy Traveler, Chicago
How has
the 2nd edition of London Theatre Walks been revised and expanded?
The author of the 2nd edition, Jim De Young, has:
- Rewalked
each and every route reflecting changes in the cityscape
and rechecking all directions to insure maximum clarity.
In the six years since the first edition was published
streets have been re-named, closed, or have even disappeared.
(e.g. large sections of Clink St.) Old buildings have
been razed and new ones have appeared. (e.g. A traditional
view of St. Brides Church from Blackfriars is now obscured
by new high rise buildings.) Retail outlets, restaurants,
and pubs have redecorated, changed names, moved , or gone
out of business. Even theatres have not been exempt. (e.g.
What was the Ambassadors Theatre in the first edition
is now officially the New Ambassadors Theatre.)
-
Added and/or updated more than fifty illustrations. (e.g.The
two page layout on the Shakespeare's Globe reconstruction
now has lively photos of the theatre in actual operation.
Some historical prints have been added to complement the
photos.) A general comparison of the old to the new edition
reveals sharper images, more accurate captions, and improved
overall layout of illustrations in relation to text. All
new photos were taken by Jim De Young. The layout and
design were under the direction of Sue Knopf of Graffolio.
-
Incorporated over thirty new site stops and items of interest.
The most significant expansion has extended Walk 13 along
the South Bank waterfront, past the London Eye, over Westminster
Bridge, and on to the Houses of Parliament and Westminster
Abbey. Other additions include: (e.g. expanded options
in Walk 1 to incorporate the Tate Modern Art Gallery and
Millennium foot bridge, the Shakespeare and Dowland memorials
in St. Andrew by the Wardrobe, the W.S. Gilbert plaque
on the Embankment, the Richard D'Oyly Carte sun-dial just
off Embankment Gardens, the Oscar Wilde memorial in Adelaide
Street, the stage door of the Haymarket Theatre to look
at the Oscar Wilde plaque dedicated by Sir John Gielgud,
the new stained class windows honoring Edward Alleyn in
St. Giles Without Cripplegate, the Clarkson, Bernhardt,
and Irving plaques in Soho, stops at the Lyric Pub and
the Prince of Wales theatre, the recently planted tree
in honor of Anne Frank, the short diversion into Neal's
Yard, the quirky theatrical restaurant Sarastro, the 1998
statue of Noel Coward in the Drury Lane Lobby, the William
Terriss plaque on Maiden Lane, the mention of George Bernard
Shaw's bizarre wedding at the Henrietta Street registry
office, and several new theatrical ghost stories.)
-
Reviewed all maps to increase clarity by adding additional
numbered sites, placing the numbers more precisely, and
by improving the sequencing of the numbers. (e.g. An inset
has been added in Walk 2 to increase clarity and legibility.
More mentioned sites have been given their own key number.)
-
Reworked the text to incorporate up-to-date developments
on the London theatre scene. (e.g. Major rewriting was
done to reflect the opening of the remodeled and expanded
Royal Opera house. Long run statistics were updated for
several theatres and the editorial cut-off date was late
enough to include such recent announcements as the Kevin
Spacey artistic direction at the Old Vic.)
What are
reviewers and users saying about the Fall, 2003 second edition
of London Theatre Walks?
London Theatre walks cited among the top ten literary
travel books of 2004
by About.com's Classic Literature Web site:
http://classiclit.about.com/od/topics/tp/aatp_littravel.htm
“Jim
De Young (a retired college professor) and John Miller
(a broadcaster) have, with Mrs. De Young, revised and
expanded their 1998 book, London Theatre Walks (Applause
Books, $17.95), a generously illustrated guide that has
this reader itching for his next trip to England; the
direction to these tours are so detailed (“If you
pass the stoplight, you have gone too far.”) that
even I am unlikely to get lost.” -- Opera
News http://operanews.com/archives/903/Books.903.html
“---the
book’s got more fires and ghost stories than a campground
at bedtime. Jim De Young and John Miller’s guide
reveals what now stands and what once stood in the West
End, Bankside, and beyond. Even if you don’t see
a show at the Albery, it’s rewarding to know that
this is where John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier alternated
Romeo and Mercutio in a famous 1939 production of ‘Romeo
and Juliet.” -- Jeremy McCarter, The
New York Sun
“Real
drama buffs know that London has the richest theatre history
of any city in the world. The new book London Theatre
Walks:Thirteen Dramatic Tours Through Four Centuries of
History & Legend by Jim De Young and John Miller provides
beguiling historical information dating from the period
of the Elizabethan playhouses to contemporary theatres.
You’ll also find gossip and colorful legends about
the players.” -- True Blue Travel.
(The travel newsletter of the U. of Michigan Alumni Assoc.
9/21/2003)
“.
. . the book is a solid small reference. Its three page
bibliography and the 16-page index should quickly point
you to any specific name or point of interest.”
-- Elyse Sommer, Curtain Up
“Jim
De Young is out to entertain and educate as he guides
his readers through the streets of London. It’s
like having a personal tour guide escorting you from the
magnificently restored Globe Theatre to the newly remodeled
Lyceum Theatre.” -- Allegheny Music
Works.
“It
would make a terrific gift for a traveler, by the way.
It runs to 262 pages (with a comprehensive index), has
lots of pictures, and, in addition to leading you by the
hand through the city’s various theatre districts,
is loaded with ideas about what to do when you’re
not at the theatre.” -- Brian McKinney,
Good Show! London Theatre Newsletter
"We
stumbled across three books worth the while of London
theatre fans on our most recent trip to London:
Jim
De Young and John Miller have put together a terrific
revised and expanded version of their London Theatre Walks,
Thirteen Dramatic Tours through Four Centuries of History
and Legend. The book is lively, readable, packed with
information, and boasts a substantial index. I tried to
use it as designed and found myself on Shaftesbury Avenue,
holding the book at several angles and wrestling with
a street map, as I tried to digest several paragraphs
of information while being heckled by passersby. The book
works
better for me in the quiet of a hotel room as I read about
the theatre I am about to visit. (The 88 degree heat combined
with 90 degree humidity, alternating with drenching showers,
didn't help.) The book also tells you how to find Leicester
Square, no small achievement, giving valuable information
on the Tkts booth. The book is written by two men deeply
in love with this fascinating city and its unique theatrical
tradition." -- Brian McKinney's Good
Show London Theatre Newsletter, August 3, 2004
(For more information on McKinney's excellent newsletter
go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/goodshow-3)
“I
am finding it truly difficult not to completely lose myself
in London Theatre Walks. . . The thirteen walks perfectly
match the 13 weeks I’ll be in London. Do thank Professor
De Young . . . for putting the walks together into this
book, seemingly expressly for people like me.”
-- A professor of English Literature from California
(From a testimonial letter sent to a former student of
Dr. De Young who had given the book to a friend of hers.
"The
revised and expanded Second Edition of London Theatre
Walks was published in July of 2003 by Applause Books
just after I returned from my last London vacation. I
enjoyed the first edition tremendously and even received
a guided tour of Walk 1 (Shakespeare and the Globe: A
trip to Bankside) in December of 2000 by the author himself.
What makes a lowly pundit like myself eligible for such
first class treatment? Well, it just so happens that the
said author is my own father, Dr. James L. De Young, who
was professor of Speech Communications and Theater Arts
at Monmouth College for almost 40 years until his retirement
last year. Dr. De Young traveled to London more than a
dozen times over the years—graciously taking me
along on a few occasions—to do research, take notes
and photographs and work and re-work the reams of cellulose
pulp that finally became the first edition of this book
in 1999.
Even
visitors to London who didn’t grow up with the Theatre
as I did will find plenty of interest in London Theatre
Walks. For those with a little shoe leather to spare,
these 13 walks will guide you through some of the most
fascinating and historic parts of the city, typically
starting and dropping you off at well-known London landmarks
you may already be familiar with. Adventuresome rock and
roll spirits like myself may also discover that these
walks can be turned into a sort of pub crawl game, the
object of which is to stop for a pint and have bar attendants
in each of the many historic pubs referenced along the
route of the walks autograph the margins of the book next
to the corresponding reference.
The
London Theatre Walks website, designed by yours truly,
makes its official internet debut on February 13th on
the author’s 66th birthday.”
-- David deYoung, editor, Howwastheshow.com
(Note: It may be a bit nepotistic to feature this comment,
but quite frankly it was not solicited and when he also
offered to do a website for me, I jumped at the chance.
He is in line to take care of the fourth edition. I figure
to still be able to walk for the 3rd one.
Plans are
already under way for a 3rd edition.
Under consideration
are new walks in Hampstead and Chelsea as well as a new section
on day trips to theatre sites outside of London such as Shaw's
House at Ayot St. Lawrence, the Roman Theatre at Winchester,
the Chichester Theatre complex, and Stratford Upon Avon. There
is also hope to add more historical prints, additional photos,
and perhaps some color illustrations.
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