It's a little tricky to categorise this new book of illustrations. Work of art, puzzle book, novelty guide to London...it could be any. Fortunately, we're not a library and can invent our own categories. We'd file this one under A for Awesome.
The premise is simple. Artist Christopher Brown has created a linocut illustration for each letter of the alphabet, choosing five or six Londony things beginning with that letter. It's not exactly an original idea (as we'll see below), but the execution is superb. The choice of subjects is perfectly pitched, with some very obvious inclusions and a few posers that will have even cab drivers scratching their heads. The letter H, for example, is represented by the eminently guessable Hampton Court, Henry VIII and Hammersmith Bridge. But only true London explorers would identify Hodge the Cat (feline friend of Samuel Johnson) or the Hoover Building.
So, how well would you do? The publisher has kindly granted us permission to reproduce two of the letters below. Leave answers in the comments section (but only one guess per person, so that everyone gets a chance).