London is Patrick Keiller's highly imaginative psychogeographic journey through (and history of) London, as undertaken by an unnamed narrator and his companion, Robinson. The unseen pair complete a series of excursions around the city, in an attempt to investigate what Robinson calls 'the problem of London', in so doing the palimpsest of the city is revealed. London is a unique take on the essay-film format, with scathing reflections on the recent past, enlivened by offbeat humour and wide-ranging literary anecdotes. The amazing locations reveal the familiar London of the near past: Concorde almost touches suburban houses as it takes off; Union Jacks fly from Wembley Stadium's Twin Towers and pigeons flock around tourists in Trafalgar Square. These images, in combination with the script, allow us to see beyond the London presented on the page. It is both a fascinating reflection on the diverse histories of Britain's capital and an illuminating record of 1992, the year of John Major's re-election, IRA bombs and the first crack in the House of Windsor. The book is the first time the film has been fully reproduced in print and contains an introduction from the director.

"Robinson believed that, if he looked at it hard enough, he could cause the surface of the city to reveal to him the "molecular" basis of historical events, and in this way he hoped to see into the future."
In his sequence of films, Patrick Keiller retraces the hidden story of the places where we live, the cities and landscapes of our everyday lives. Now, in this brilliant collection of essays, he offers a new perspective on how Britain works and sees itself. He discusses the background to his work and its development - from surrealism to post-2008 economic catastrophe - and expands on what the films reveal. Referencing writers including Benjamin and Lefebvre, the essays follow his career since the late 1970s, exploring themes including the surrealist perception of the city; the relationship of architecture and film; how cities change over time, and how films represent this; as well as accounts of cross-country journeys involving historical figures, unexpected ideas and an urgent portrait of post-crash Britain.