‘It is true that rumour of the greatness, prosperity, singularities and splendours of London fly and run to the ends of the whole world, such that London has seen Muscovy as Muscovy has seen London.’ These are amongst the opening words of L Grenade’s The Singularities of London which he wrote in 1578. Grenade, about whom virtually nothing is known, wrote a laudes civitatis (‘praises of the city’) in celebration of England’s capital. As such it complements the work of John Stow on London and the city map published in Braun and Hogenberg’s Civitates Orbis Terrarum, while being influenced by Giles Corrozet’s study of Paris, first published in 1532.

Grenade’s book reflects the growing interest in the ‘singularities’ or ‘particular and noteworthy things’ in the early modern city – the spaces of the city in terms of streets (Thames Street, Tower Street, Newgate) and suburbs (Ludgate, Newgate, Lothbury, Aldersgate, Cripplegate, Moorgate, Bishopsgate and Aldgate (Whitechapel), St Katherine and Southwark), key places (St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, the Royal Exchange and London Bridge) and also the government of the city in terms of key buildings, such as the Guildhall, chief officials, such as the Lord Mayor, the Sheriffs and Aldermen, the city’s ceremonies, in the form of the Lord Mayor’s entry into the city, and the laws, privileges and liberties of the city. The peaceful nature of London society was also a very significant feature for Grenade and he linked this state to England’s reformed religion. As such, London was the new Jerusalem or ‘city of peace’ in comparison with Paris, which had seen the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre in 1572, and Antwerp, which was sacked by the Spanish in 1576.

This edition, prepared by two very well-respected and knowledgeable scholars of medieval and early modern London, provides the full French text along with a complete English translation of the preface and the thirteen chapters and a full set of notes. In addition, there is an extensive introduction considering the manuscript and its provenance (it is now in the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, ms Reg. Lat. 672), the identity of the author, the characteristics of the laudes civitatis and what may have inspired the author, and what it reveals about how a ‘stranger’ might feel in London society. Another very valuable feature of the edition is the extensive selection of very high-quality illustrations, including maps, depictions of contemporary buildings and individuals from the ‘middling sort’ who lived in the city of London. As such, the text is of great interest to historians of early modern towns, and London in particular, as well as to those who study ceremony, clothing and civic identity to name but a few.

This elegant edition adds greatly to our knowledge of how perceptions of cities in general, and London in particular, were evolving in the sixteenth century. Grenade asked: ‘For what reason should [London’s] virtues remain buried and hidden in the bosom of an eternal oblivion or within the closed mouth of Nemesis?’ Thanks to Grenade’s laudes civitatis, and this new edition of his work published by the London Topographical Society and its Honorary Editor, Ann Saunders, London’s early modern reputation is accessible to all that consult this volume.