"For anyone with a passing interest in London history, mention of the riverside parish of Wapping may possibly conjure up a picture of impoverished working class inhabitants, narrow streets and dangerous alleyways. Such an image owes much to descriptions of Wapping and nearby localities in the later 19th century. There is, however, another, earlier, Wapping to be discovered. a Wapping where wealthy merchants, shipowners and manufacturers had their houses and offices; a Wapping with trading links which reached out across the world; a Wapping of slave plantation owners; a Wapping of government contractors; a Wapping, indeed, even of book lovers.

In Wapping 1600-1800 Derek Morris and Ken Cozens, two independent scholars blessed with exceptional research tenacity and an unrivalled grasp of a wide range of novel primary sources, reveal a new face of Wapping. In a series of thematic chapters they amply demonstrate, over two centuries, the diversity of interests and occupations gathered together in this relatively small area of London. They also show how other researchers may follow their lead, with each chapter concluding both with suggestions for further reading and archival references. Although local and family historians will particularly appreciate such guidance, this is a book which also has much to offer those, such as myself, with a broader interest in Britain's maritime past.

Morris and Cozens are to be congratulated on producing such a fascinating, informative and ground breaking study."