The Bottom Line
Wallpaper* has a cult following who will be this book’s target audience but for most visitors this will be unhelpful. Few big sights are listed but for a designer's take on London this could be a supplementary guidebook. (Note, the asterisk is part of the magazine's name.) I read the whole book in less than an hour.
Pros
- Fold-out maps on front and back cover make good bookmarks
- Tabbed sections for easy navigation
- Blank pages for notes and sketches – blank, lined, and graph paper
- Updated annually
Cons
- Not a great deal of information, but enough to make you want to find out more
- Use as a supplementary travel guide – you will need another for more information about the city
- Includes only one local resident’s 'insider knowledge'
Description
- Series launched November 2006
- Published by Phaidon Press and the style magazine, Wallpaper*
- Aimed at design-conscious travelers
- Pocket-size format
Guide Review - Wallpaper* London City Guide - Travel Guide Review
The information is broken down into tabbed sections:
- Essential Info
Very limited – only one post office listed!
Weather charts seem out of date. - Neighbourhoods
Gives a bizarre fantasy description of South-west London stating "you can’t move for lords, ladies [and] oil-funded Arab royalty." I would suggest you are more likely to find such types in Mayfair in central London around the US Embassy location. - Landmarks
Architecturally interesting but not what the average visitor would come to London to see. - Hotels
Excellent choice of designer hotels which includes some from our Top 10 London Luxury Boutique Hotels. - 24 Hours
What to see in one day in London is all based outdoors outside which misses the fact that London is urban, and we love London for it. - Urban Life (Restaurants, etc.)
The focus is on the interiors and not the food but it does call Hakkasan “the sexiest restaurant in London”! - Insider’s Guide
May be more useful to a London resident as most suggestions are off the beaten track. - Architour
Modernist architecture probably best viewed in the photos – not worth traveling around London to see them. - Shopping
Quirky, certainly not mainstream. - Sports & Spas
Not for the visitor as membership plans required. - Escapes
Interesting but not useful. - Notes
Blank pages – plain, lined, and graph paper. A useful additional - Resources
Listed in a very useful order – as mentioned in the book. But it is not clear that the colors of the page numbers refer to districts of London listed on the inside back cover. - “Hot Hoods”
A fun title but too many ‘inside jokes' to make it unclear to most visitors.
