93 books like Building St Paul's

By James W. P. Campbell,

Here are 93 books that Building St Paul's fans have personally recommended if you like Building St Paul's. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The London Spy

A.J. West Author Of The Betrayal of Thomas True

From my list on books for the curious London time traveler.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a passionate time traveler since my school days, gobbling down as many books as I could find on castles, galleons, pyramids, and anything else besides. Writing about the past has released me from the present day, and taught me about my own origins. When a reader picks up one of my books, I hope that they’ll follow me back in time for an adventure that brings the past to life and tells us something about ourselves. These books are, in fact, much more than mere books; they are a portal to history, and I thoroughly recommend them.

A.J.'s book list on books for the curious London time traveler

A.J. West Why did A.J. love this book?

Ned Ward was a tavern keeper in the early 1700s, and this little-known book offers an extraordinary time capsule. It allows the reader to travel back some three hundred years to the grimy streets of London that feel at once alien and familiar.

The lions and other exotic animals in the Tower of London, the freshly-domed St Paul’s Cathedral, the filth and noise, the danger and the stink. All of it is here, not to mention the fabulous dialect of the time, offering the most wonderful dictionary of terms for sex workers, thieves, lawyers, and every trade imaginable. All history fans should read this book.

By Ned Ward, Paul Hyland (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The London Spy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Ned Ward pioneered the literary exploration of the life and character of late 17th-century London, and delighted in challenging the assumed superiority of `literary' language over the `vulgar' -and the reaction he provoked among the guardians of Augustan culture.
The London Spy, based upon the author's personal knowledge and experiences, recounts the fictitious adventures of a wide-eyed country bumpkin at large in the teeming metropolis of villains, whores and hucksters at the turn of the century. The Spy's adventures take him not only around the famous sights and monuments of the capital such as Bridewell, Bedlam and the Tower of…


Book cover of Mother Clap's Molly House: The Gay Subculture in England 1700-1830

A.J. West Author Of The Betrayal of Thomas True

From my list on books for the curious London time traveler.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a passionate time traveler since my school days, gobbling down as many books as I could find on castles, galleons, pyramids, and anything else besides. Writing about the past has released me from the present day, and taught me about my own origins. When a reader picks up one of my books, I hope that they’ll follow me back in time for an adventure that brings the past to life and tells us something about ourselves. These books are, in fact, much more than mere books; they are a portal to history, and I thoroughly recommend them.

A.J.'s book list on books for the curious London time traveler

A.J. West Why did A.J. love this book?

I needed to take my research from the Old Bailey archives and bring it to life, but the detail was disparate and piecemeal. I found myself struggling to get a clear window into Mother Clap’s molly house and other molly haunts.

Rictor Norton’s book was exactly what I needed. Thoroughly researched and clearly laid out, it offers the reader a chance to delve into London’s molly culture, exploring molly haunts and gaining a sense of their language and social mores.

I still had a lot of work to do, bringing the mollies to life as fully-rounded fictional characters. Norton’s book is a stickler for fact and eschews romantic supposition, but without a doubt, his book gives the Georgian London time traveler a vital key not just to the lives of the mollies but to the everyday lives of all working Londoners in all their grimy glory.

By Rictor Norton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mother Clap's Molly House as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This pioneering study is the first comprehensive chronicle of the English gay community during the eighteenth century, sporting for the first time its distinctive subculture.


Book cover of The Covent Garden Ladies

A.J. West Author Of The Betrayal of Thomas True

From my list on books for the curious London time traveler.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a passionate time traveler since my school days, gobbling down as many books as I could find on castles, galleons, pyramids, and anything else besides. Writing about the past has released me from the present day, and taught me about my own origins. When a reader picks up one of my books, I hope that they’ll follow me back in time for an adventure that brings the past to life and tells us something about ourselves. These books are, in fact, much more than mere books; they are a portal to history, and I thoroughly recommend them.

A.J.'s book list on books for the curious London time traveler

A.J. West Why did A.J. love this book?

I think if we went back in time to 1700s London, we would see very little of the wealthy, privileged world so often depicted on stage and screen, and find ourselves far more excited by the filth and clatter of real London–the London of street sellers, stray dogs, pillorying, bawdy houses, and taverns. I know I would.

Without a doubt, all echelons of society took an interest in bawdy houses back then, particularly those in and around Covent Garden, where sex workers milled around the hummums and various shops, pamphleteers, and stalls, selling their wares.

In Hallie Rubenhold’s brilliant book, we get a glimpse into a surprising world, where (mainly) women found misery but also–in some cases–agency and wealth by selling themselves to well-to-do ‘gents’. This book is thrilling and heartbreaking in equal measure, and it proved to be an essential companion as I wandered through the backstreets of old…

By Hallie Rubenhold,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Covent Garden Ladies as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

***By the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of THE FIVE***
'A fascinating expose of the seamy side of eighteenth century life' MAIL ON SUNDAY
'Rubenhold's pages practically reek with smelly, pox-ridden Georgian Soho' GUARDIAN
-------------------------------------------------------

In 1757, a down-and-out Irish poet, the head waiter at the Shakespear's Head Tavern in Covent Garden, and a celebrated London courtesan became bound together by the publication of a little book: Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies. This salacious work - detailing the names and 'specialities' of the capital's sex-workers- became one of the eighteenth century's most scandalous bestsellers.

Yet beyond its titillating…


Book cover of The A to Z of Georgian London

A.J. West Author Of The Betrayal of Thomas True

From my list on books for the curious London time traveler.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a passionate time traveler since my school days, gobbling down as many books as I could find on castles, galleons, pyramids, and anything else besides. Writing about the past has released me from the present day, and taught me about my own origins. When a reader picks up one of my books, I hope that they’ll follow me back in time for an adventure that brings the past to life and tells us something about ourselves. These books are, in fact, much more than mere books; they are a portal to history, and I thoroughly recommend them.

A.J.'s book list on books for the curious London time traveler

A.J. West Why did A.J. love this book?

I hate reading historical fiction when it seems perfectly obvious that the author has no idea where they are. They don’t know the place names, they don’t know the roads, and they haven’t the foggiest sense of how people actually got from one part of the city to another. It is surprisingly common for novels set in London to take the reader on absurdly circuitous routes, simply because the author hasn’t bothered to look at a map.

This is particularly irksome and unforgivable in London’s case because so many of the streets and alleyways are still in existence. For my part, writing Thomas True was an excuse to wander around London with my John Rocque map tucked under my arm, timing various routes and working out precisely how Gabriel and Thomas would have journeyed through the bewilderingly busy city to Mother Clap’s Alsatia Old London Bridge, the Exchange, and Whitechapel.…

Book cover of The Last Queen of England

Janet Few Author Of Sins as Red as Scarlet: a Devon Town in Turmoil

From my list on genealogical mystery novels.

Why am I passionate about this?

I inhabit the past. You may find me lurking in my four-hundred-year-old Devon cottage, or spot me thinly disguised as the formidable Mistress Agnes, a good wife of a certain age who leads a somewhat chaotic life during the mid-seventeenth century. I write, I read, I research, I share my passion, I write some more. My life revolves around reading, writing and researching history. Having spent the past forty-five years unravelling my own family’s story and loving both historical and crime novels, what could be better than a book that combines all these elements. I have to say that if genealogy was as dangerous a career as some of these books imply, no one would be advised to take it up!

Janet's book list on genealogical mystery novels

Janet Few Why did Janet love this book?

In The Last Queen of England, fact, and fiction are intertwined as genealogist Jefferson Tayte races against time to solve a puzzle, set by members of The Royal Society, relating to the rightful heir to the throne. Can Tayte crack the code and solve the mystery before there is yet another murder? Can he avoid becoming yet another victim of the conspiracy?

By Steve Robinson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Last Queen of England as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

While on a visit to London, American genealogist Jefferson Tayte's old friend and colleague dies in his arms. Before long, Tayte and a truth-seeking historian, Professor Jean Summer, find themselves following a corpse-ridden trail that takes them to the Royal Society of London, circa 1708.

What to make of the story of five men of science, colleagues of Isaac Newton and Christopher Wren, who were mysteriously hanged for high treason?

As they edge closer to the truth, Tayte and the professor find that death is once again in season. A new killer, bent on restoring what he sees as the…


Book cover of The Architecture of Happiness

Sarah Lahey Author Of Kat Girl

From my list on your relationship is failing while renovating.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love writing books that feature buildings and construction as a backdrop to life. I’ve worked as an interior designer for over 30 years, and now I teach design at a university in Sydney. Our homes offer so much more than four walls and a roof. They provide us with comfort and shelter. They offer security and stability. They help us stay sane and grounded in a sometimes confusing and turbulent world. I don’t think the importance of our homes can be underestimated.

Sarah's book list on your relationship is failing while renovating

Sarah Lahey Why did Sarah love this book?

If you’re in the middle of renovating and feel like you’ve lost your way, you might need a new perspective. This book will get you back on track.

Easy for laypeople to understand—the writing is simple and elegant—it’s philosophical and wise. It might even change how you look at the world, or at least the way you look at architecture. Hopefully, you’ll remember why you’re renovating in the first place. 

By Alain De Botton,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Architecture of Happiness as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What makes a house beautiful? Is it serious to spend your time thinking about home decoration? Why do people disagree about taste? Can buildings make us happy? In The Architecture of Happiness Alain de Botton tackles a relationship central to our lives. Our buildings - and the objects we fill them with - affect us more profoundly than we might think. To take architecture seriously is to accept that we are, for better and for worse, different people in different places. De Botton suggests that it is architecture's task to render vivid to us who we might ideally be. Turning…


Book cover of Hawksmoor

Martin Rosenstock Author Of Sherlock Holmes: A Detective's Life

From my list on novels to impress a cocktail party crowd.

Why am I passionate about this?

I started reading detective stories in my teens, and I’ve never quit. They’ve become part of my professional identity. I’ve taught detective (and crime) fiction at various universities in the U.S. and the Middle East. I believe the genre is incredibly rich, allowing the writer to explore anything from contemporary social issues to historical events and from psychological phenomena to philosophical problems. Apart from my academic work, I also write and edit detective/crime stories, and I try to keep up with the stream of new works being published every year. The list here contains some of my all-time favorites, and I hope you will enjoy them as much as I have.

Martin's book list on novels to impress a cocktail party crowd

Martin Rosenstock Why did Martin love this book?

This was difficult to do well, but Ackroyd makes it work–and he makes it look easy: One half of the story is told in a very idiosyncratic version of early eighteenth-century English (the other half in contemporary English). The level of sheer craftsmanship is impressive.

The story gripped me: a serial killer mystery with touches of the occult and supernatural. London is a haunted place in this story, but not only the victims of the past but also the killers are still with us today. We come to understand that our entire world is built on the flawed achievements of the past.

By Peter Ackroyd,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Hawksmoor as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'There is no Light without Darknesse
and no Substance without Shaddowe'

So proclaims Nicholas Dyer, assistant to Sir Christopher Wren and the man with a commission to build seven London churches to stand as beacons of the enlightenment. But Dyer plans to conceal a dark secret at the heart of each church - to create a forbidding architecture that will survive for eternity. Two hundred and fifty years later, London detective Nicholas Hawksmoor is investigating a series of gruesome murders on the sites of certain eighteenth-century churches - crimes that make no sense to the modern mind . . .…


Book cover of A Thief in Time

Christy Sloat Author Of The Wordsmith

From my list on time travel you probably haven’t read.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been a sucker for a good time travel novel. So when I started writing my Librarian Chronicles I quickly learned that there is just so much you can do with the theory of time. My characters have gone to many places and times and in order to perfect these locations and eras that required tons of research. For my first novel, The Librarian, I researched for nearly a year before I wrote the book. I sincerely hope you’ll enjoy my Librarian Chronicles and I look forward to writing more in the series. Each novel is unique and they can all be read in any order.

Christy's book list on time travel you probably haven’t read

Christy Sloat Why did Christy love this book?

I am most excited to talk about this book since Cidney Swanson became one of my favorite authors. I’ll admit a lot of people don’t know who she is, but she’s a very sweet and talented author more people should know about.

Halley, our main character, ends up house-sitting for a well-to-do scientist. As she’s sitting for him in his fancy house, an earthquake hits and Halley is now face-to-face with an earl definitely not from this time period. The earl is confused to say the least, but Halley and her friends are now responsible for helping him get back to where he belongs. Turns out the scientist has secrets in his fancy house, and he’s not willing to share. When Halley and her friends find themselves involved in the scientist's mess, they are now trying to help the earl and save themselves. This book has danger, intrigue, and sweet…

By Cidney Swanson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Thief in Time as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

8 BOOK SERIES - EACH A COMPLETE TALE!
Halley, who covers house-sitting jobs for her self-absorbed mom, has Hollywood dreams but no real life. Until the day a job for her mom leads to a tumble back to London, 1598, where Halley meets a hot, rich earl named Edmund. And accidentally brings him to the 21st century.

Her dull summer just got a whole lot more interesting as she tells Edmund to keep his hands off tech he doesn't understand and a deadly sword he can't use in public. All while trying to keep from falling in for him, which…


Book cover of Must Love Breeches: A Time Travel Romance

Jessi Gage Author Of Wishing for a Highlander

From my list on time travel romances that leave you feeling light.

Why am I passionate about this?

“We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!” Wayne and Garth said it best. This is how I felt when I read my first time-travel romance almost twenty years ago. It was a masterpiece, and it’s since gone on to sell in record numbers and become a Starz network TV series. You know the one. I enjoyed this immense tome full of gritty history and realistic romance, but for my next read, I found myself gravitating toward lighter fare. If, like me, you prefer the literary equivalent of fluffy, buttery popcorn to the steak dinner of heavier stories, you’ll love my bestselling time-travel romance series, starting with Wishing for a Highlander.

Jessi's book list on time travel romances that leave you feeling light

Jessi Gage Why did Jessi love this book?

Do you like smart writing with lots of humor? How about historical accuracy with a nod to science fiction? Characters that speak to your soul? Must Love Breeches has all this and more. This romance pairs a modern woman with brains and an indomitable spirit with a rakishly handsome, revenge-seeking nobleman. The backdrop is an 1834 London so realistic you’ll be checking your pockets to make sure they weren’t picked.

By Angela Quarles,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Must Love Breeches as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A USAToday bestseller. She's finally met the man of her dreams--too bad he lives in a different century!

A devoted history buff finds the re-enactment of a pre-Victorian ball in London a bit boring...until a mysterious artifact sweeps her back in time to the real event, and into the arms of a compelling British lord.

Isabelle Rochon can't believe it when she finds herself in the reality of 1830's London high society. She's thrilled to witness events and people she's studied. But she may also have to survive without modern tools or career--unless she can find a way to return…


Book cover of The Jacket (The Star-Rover)

Brian Paone Author Of Yours Truly, 2095

From my list on time travel that do not rely on a time machine.

Why am I passionate about this?

Before I even started writing my outline, I spent four months researching everything I could on quantum entanglement. I read textbooks, watched seminars and lectures, and even went to Tokyo, Japan to visit the quantum physics exhibition at a museum! I have immersed myself in time travel novel, films, and even music (i.e., Electric Light Orchestra’s Time album, where my novel gets its title from—track #2 on the album is “Yours Truly, 2095”) since I was very young. I even gave a presentation to the Library of Congress on the differences between time travel with engineering and time travel with physics.

Brian's book list on time travel that do not rely on a time machine

Brian Paone Why did Brian love this book?

While it’s hard to dismiss 12 Monkeys on a list of fiction where there are not machines creating the passage for time travel (even though it was never a novel), I have to say Jack London’s The Jacket does a better job at being subtle. The novel was adapted into a film in 2005 and follows a main character who experiences a time slip at the point of a near-death experience when he is in confined situations (i.e., when they think he’s dead and put him in a casket or when they need to subdue him in a straitjacket.) These tight confines of space initiate his ability to time travel through teetering on the brink of death. The story is slightly more ‘spiritual’ than ‘science based,’ but I felt it stood out as a good example of using the power inside of us to be able to defy the fabric…

By Jack London,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Jacket (The Star-Rover) as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Jacket (1915) is a novel by American writer Jack London. A groundbreaking work of science fiction that blends elements of mysticism, The Jacket critiques the harsh reality of the American criminal justice system. The novel was inspired by the experiences of Ed Morrell, a man who spent time at San Quentin State Prison for robbing trains. Horrified by his description of "the jacket," a constricting device used to punish inmates, London wrote the novel to explore the psychological effects of torture. Darrell Standing was a Professor of Agronomics at the University of California, Berkeley when, in a fit of…


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