London
London names 7 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below.
London the metropolis of the British empire
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
the metropolis of the British empire, and the most populous, wealthy, and commercial city of the world. It is situated partly and principally on the N. bank of the Thames, in the county of Middlesex, and partly on its S. bank in the county of Surrey, its suburbs extending into several other counties, and is about 45 miles above the river's mouth. The site on the N. side is high and dry, but on the S. it is so low as to be under the level of the highest tides, though, by a well-constructed system of drainage, it is kept perfectly free from wet. The sub-soil is a hard clay, known to geologists by the name of "London clay," lying in the middle of the great chalk basin, extending E. from Berks. London comprises, besides the City of London and the city of Westminster, the parliamentary boroughs of Battersea, Bermondsey, Bethnal Green, Camberwell, Chelsea, 1, Chelsea, Deptford, Finsbury, Fulham, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith, Hampstead, Holborn, Islington, Kensington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Paddington, Poplar, Marylebone, St. Pancras, Shoreditch, Southwark, Stepney, Stoke Newington, Wandsworth, and Woolwich. These, formerly distinct, combine to form the huge agglomeration called London. Its length E. from Plumstead, in Essex, to its W. boundary Hammersmith, in Middlesex, on the N. bank of the Thames, may be estimated at 19 miles; its breadth, N. to S., or from Hampstead, in Middlesex, to Camberwell, Surrey county, at 14 miles; while its circumference is not less than 40 miles. The municipal and parliamentary city of London which coincides with the registration city of London has an area of 675 acres, with a population in 1911 of 364,061, compared with 301,384 in 1891. The registration county of London coinciding with the administrative county has an area of 74,816 acres and it coincides very nearly with the collective area of the London parliamentary boroughs. The population of registration London for 1911 was 4,521,685. The estimated population in 1917 was 4,026,- 911. Included within the limits of London is also the so-called outer ring, comprising a large area of the surrounding country. This had a population in 1911 of 2,729,673 and an estimated population in 1917 of 2,699,852. Including both these areas the population in 1911 was estimated at 7,251,358 and in 1917 at 6,726,763. The N. and S. portions of London are connected by bridges, viz., those of London, Southwark, Blackfriars, Waterloo, Hungerford, Westminster, Vauxhall, Chelsea, Wandsworth, Putney, and Hammersmith, besides several railway bridges. Communi- other cation is also maintained maintained subterraneously house by the Thames Tunnel and subways. Museum, The city is divided into several hundred ton parishes, and contains about 500 churches belonging to the Anglican communion, don irrespective of several hundred others belonging to various denominations. This, the E. central division of the metropolis, may be termed the center of commerce not only of the British empire, but of the world at large. What is legally termed the port of London extends about 7 miles below London Bridge beyond Blackwall; though the actual port, consisting of of the upper, middle, and lower pools, does not reach beyond Limehouse. Independent of the river accommodation thus afforded for shipping, a series of vast inland docks extends from the Tower to nearly opposite Greenwich. The port of London comprises that part of the Thames river below Teddington Lock. More than one-third the commerce of the United Kingdom is carried on in the port of London. There is an elaborate system of docks, the chief of which are the Surrey Commercial Docks with an area of 380 acres, the West India Docks, 332 acres, the Royal Victoria and Albert Docks, 1,100 acres and the Tilbury Docks, 596 acres. The city proper was formerly walled, with large entrances or gates, one only of which-Temple Bar, dividing the cities of London and Westminster-remained till 1877. The noticeable public buildings of the city are the Tower of London; the Royal Mint; St. Paul's Cathedral; the General Postoffice; the Guildhall; Mansion House; the halls of the various livery companies, or trade guilds; the Bank of England (covering 8 acres); Royal Exchange; Stock Exchange; Corn Exchange; Coal Exchange, Custom House; East India House, etc. The city is intersected with railroads both above and below ground. In a radius of one mile round the Bank of England is found, perhaps, the busiest, and certainly, during business hours, the most densely crowded spot on the globe. Proceeding W., and arrived at Temple Bar at the E. extremity of the great thoroughfare, the Strand, we find on the right the Temple, with its beautiful gardens extending to the river's edge, and on the left the other great Inns of Court, Lincoln's Inn Fields, etc. Further on, into Westminster, is the grand division of the metropolis known as the West End, the court, fashionable, and literary quarter-the London of polite society. Here are the Houses of Parliament, the various government offices. National Gallery, theaters, royal and palaces, the many parks, club picture galleries the British Westminster Gardens, etc. Farther north, the Regent's Park, Zoological Gardens, Lon- University, Royal College of Surgeons, and literary institutions and public edifices greet the eye in numbers. Markets, hospitals, asylums, etc., are spread over this metropolis in great profusion; and it is estimated that not less than 4,000 churches, chapels, and places devoted to divine worship, flourish within its precincts. A magnificent roadway of granite, called the Thames Embankment, from 100 to 200 feet wide, extends on both sides of the river from Westminster to Blackfriars Bridge. The city proper is under the jurisdiction of a lord-mayor and courts of aldermen and common council, together forming the richest municipal corporation in the world, exercising jurisdiction within the liberties. London ranks higher as a literary even than as a commercial center. It is, essentially, the focus of British science and civilization-the world's metropolis. Nothing is known of London previous to the invasion of the Romans; but we learn from Tacitus that so early as the reign of Nero it was an important emporium. After the establishment of the Saxon dominion, London is supposed to have become the capital of the East Saxon kingdom. Eventually it became the capital of the entire kingdom, and, after the Norman conquest, received a charter, the original of which is still preserved as the palladium of the city's The history of London thenceforward is one of continual progression, though at different periods severely visited by fires, pestilence, etc. In 1381, Wat Tyler's rebellion was suppressed by the citizens, commanded by Sir William Walworth, then lord-mayor. In the 15th walworth, century, London began to make marvelous strides, and the 16th, it vied with Venice, Genoa, and Amsterdam, both in extensive foreign commerce and in the opulence of its citizens. During the reign of Charles II., the city was partly desolated, first by the ravages of the Great Plague, and in 1666, by what is known in history as the "Great Fire of London." After this calamity, ancient London, being a thing of the past, the modern city arose upon its ruins. During the World War London was subjected to many aerial bombardments by German Zeppelins and aeroplanes. Hundreds of people were killed and there was considerable loss of property, although this was small in comparison with the frequency of the raids and the power of the projectiles dropped. The city is provided with a system of underground railways which brings the surrounding country into quick communication with the center of the city.
London JACK, an American writer born in San Francisco
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
JACK, an American writer born in San Francisco, Cal., 1876; died on his ranch in Marin co., Cal., 1916. At the age of seventeen he made a trip to sea on a sealer, before the mast, cruising in Behring Sea. On his return a year later he tramped throughout the country, associating with the migratory laborers labor known as "hoboes." At the age of twenty- JACK LONDON one he took a special course in literature and sociology at the University of California, at Berkeley, but cut his studies short to join in the gold rush to the Alaskan gold fields. On his return, two years later, he began writing short stories on the North country, the first of which were published in the "Overland Monthly," in San Francisco. Later he contributed short stories to "McClure's Magazine," which attracted country-wide attention. It was "The Call of the Wild," however, published as a serial in "The Saturday Evening Post," then as a book, in 1903, that established his reputation as a writer of forceful fiction. His essays and books on sociological subjects, with a strong socialistic trend, also gained him a wide audience. His style much resembles that of Kipling, without the humor of Kipling. Among his most notable books are: "The Call of the Wild"
London a port of entry and the principal city of Middlesex co.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a port of entry and the principal city of Middlesex co., Ontario, Canada; on the Thames river, and the Grand Trunk, the Canadian Pacific, the Michigan Central, the Père Marquette, and the London and Port Stanley railroads; about 120 miles W. of Toronto. It is in one of the finest agricultural districts of the Dominion, and has numerous iron foundries, machine shops, mills, chemical works, boot and shoe factories, tanneries, breweries, printing offices, and other industrial establishments. It is the seat of Western University and College, and of Huron College; contains Anglican and Roman Catholic cathedrals, several hospitals, lunatic asylum, orphan asylum, convent, several banks, libraries, daily, weekly, and monthly periodicals. London is a noted summer and health resort, its white sulphur springs attracting many invalids. Pop. about 60,000. LONDON-AUSTRALIA FLIGHT. In 1919 the Australian Government offered a $50,000 prize for an aeroplane flight from England to Australia, 30 days being allowed for the journey. The flight was successfully carried out by Captain Ross Smith and his brother, Lieutenant Keith M. Smith, who left Hounslow Aerodrome on Nov. 12, 1919, in a Vickers- Vimy bomber, and by way of Crete, Cairo, Bagdad, Delhi made the journey of 10,- 500 miles in 28 days, arriving at Port Darwin, Australia, on Dec. 10, 1919.
London DECLARATION OF
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
DECLARATION OF, a code of rules governing naval war practices adopted by the International Naval Conference in London, promulgated Feb. 26, 1909. The principal naval and maritime powers attempted in this declaration to define rules and principles to govern naval practices in wartime which should be obligatory on national prize courts and upon the International Prize Court to be established; to define the rights and obligations of neutral traders and the relation of belligerents in warlike operations at sea. The powers united in stating that the rules agreed upon corresponded with the recognized principles of international law. The document marked an advance on rules previously in force, and displayed a more careful regard for neutral rights. The Declaration did not receive unanimous consent of the powers and failed to be put into effect. The House of Commons ratified it, but it was rejected by the Lords. In the World War, Great Britain at first announced adherence to the Declaration, and afterward reverted to the old principles, which were vigorously interpreted, causing friction with the United States and other neutrals.
London UNIVERSITY OF, an institution of learning in London
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
UNIVERSITY OF, an institution of learning in London, England; originally established as a jointstock undertaking in 1825. In 1836 two 1 charters were granted, one to a university retaining the name of University of London, and having power to examine and grant degrees, another to a teaching premises at body occupying the original premises at Gower street, which took the name of University College, and now prepares students for obtaining the degrees conferred by the university. New and supplementary charters were granted in 1858, 1863, and 1878, the last admitting women to all degrees and prizes granted by the university. In 1910 King's College, except for the Department of Theology, became a part of the university. In 1918-1919 there were 3,300 students and 1,140 instructors. The university sends a representative to Parliament.
London the capital of the United Kingdom and of the British Empire
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
the capital of the United Kingdom and of the British Empire . The name is British, that is to say, Welsh-not English. It means "Pool Hill," having reference to a widening in the Thames convenient for ships, and to a hill, whether the site of the Tower or of St. Paul's Cathedral is uncertain. In the day of the Britons London was but a hamlet of huts-a dry spot among the marshes of the Thames-a suitable place for landing and camping. It is now the most extensive, the most populous, the wealthiest, and the most influential city in the world.
London UNIVERSITY OF (1903)
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
UNIVERSITY OF (1903); "The Sea Wolf" (1904); "Burning Daylight" (1910); "The Valley of the Moon" (1913); "People of the Abyss" (sociological, 1903); "The War of the Classes" (1905); "The Iron Heel" (1908), and "John Barleycorn" (1913), the latter being autobiographical.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
When Collier's wrote this in 1921 it could call London the most populous city in the world; today, at roughly nine million people in Greater London, it ranks well outside the top thirty, far behind Tokyo, Delhi and Shanghai. The administrative county of London and its parliamentary boroughs described here were swept away in 1965 by Greater London and its 32 boroughs, governed after 1986 by no council at all until the Greater London Authority and the first elected mayor arrived in 2000; the ancient City of London still occupies its 675 acres but has fewer than 10,000 residents. The vast dock system the entry lists with such pride is gone: the Surrey Commercial, West India and Royal Victoria and Albert docks all closed between the 1960s and 1981, container traffic moved downriver to Tilbury and away to Felixstowe, and Canary Wharf's towers now stand on the West India quays. The other entries sharing this headword are lesser Londons and namesakes, and none has grown into anything like the fame of the metropolis, though the account's confident claim of world primacy is the one line here that no longer holds.
Written for this edition, 2026.