Overview

With a new introduction by Hermione Lee

'The fascination of the London street is that no two people are ever alike, each seems bound on some private affair of his own.' – A Room of One’s Own

Virginia Woolf relished any opportunity for a stroll around London. She found great pleasure in observing the city and its people – noticing the subtle details that others often miss. In this collection of stunning essays, Woolf gives us an intimate tour of her beloved hometown. We venture through unfamiliar pockets of London and revisit its most famous landmarks; we smell the salty air of the East End docks and hear the echoing sounds inside the Houses of Parliament; Woolf transports us to the bustle of Oxford Street and the more peaceful moments on Hampstead Heath.

Originally published bi-monthly in 1931 by Good Housekeeping, the essays in The London Scene exhibit Virginia Woolf at the height of her literary powers and present an unparalleled and meditative portrait of an extraordinary metropolis – capturing the London of the 1930s and also the eternal city we recognise today.