London Under: the secret history beneath the streets

by Peter Ackroyd

I recently enthused about this writer's talent, and it is definitely on display in this book. Though much slimmer than his other books, this one has the same panache and wealth of fascinating, little-known information. From buried streams and springs to putrid sewers, Roman ruins, and abandoned Tube stations, myriad secrets lie beneath the streets of London, and you don't have to be an Anglophile, history buff, or archaeology geek to find it interesting. I liked this book very much and frequently place it on the staff picks shelf.

A documentary in this vein exists, but I don't know if it's related.