This book wasn't quite what I was expecting. It's a comprehensive history of London, but organised thematically rather than chronologically -- so there's a chapter about alcohol, another about opera and musical theatre, a third about women's issues, another about Newgate, and so on. Each of the 79 chapters is an essay about its subject, gathering quotations from a wide variety of sources along with the author's observations.
I'd cautiously recommend this book, but as something to dip into rather than to read straight through -- I've been reading chapters between other books for the last few months. I find the author's comments on the sources annoying at times; his observations can be interesting and insightful, but much of the book reads rather like a GCSE History essay. I would also have liked a better reference to sources; the book as it stands is of little use as a reference, because the listing of sources in the back is not usefully indexed (and it's not obvious to me whether it's complete or not).
ISBN 0099422581. Search for this book on Wikipedia or isbn.nu.